


Where I'm Meant to Be

by martianbarnes



Series: Stucky Bingo [6]
Category: Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Kid Fic, M/M, Meet-Cute, Slow Burn, i'll add more tags and characters as I'll go probably, single dad bucky
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-27
Updated: 2021-01-31
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:41:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 29,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27745402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/martianbarnes/pseuds/martianbarnes
Summary: Bucky is a single dad coming back from a work trip with a very bored, very whiney 7-year-old girl. A mysterious stranger with a kind heart and a notebook full of doodles comes to the rescue.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Series: Stucky Bingo [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1935310
Comments: 85
Kudos: 114
Collections: Stucky Bingo 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was supposed to be just a short one-shot for the Stucky Bingo but somehow, it's at 11k at this point and it's nowhere near done. I have two more chapters all done and ready and a vague outline for the rest of the story. It's my first time posting a fic chapter by chapter so it's both exciting and kinda scary. I hope you'll like the story enough to stick with me for a while.
> 
> If you want to say hi on tumblr, you can find me [**here**](http://captainjanegay.tumblr.com/)

At some point in his life Bucky didn't mind spending hours at airports and he found traveling —even work-related —quite enjoyable. But that was when he was young, stupid and alone. Now he's older, just as stupid and has a wonderful girl in his life. 

The girl in question is now standing next to him, little arms crossed and a sullen expression on her face. She's repeatedly kicking at the leg of the chair he's sitting on. There's no real force to it —she's only 7 after all —and she's not doing it to do any real damage to anyone or anything. It's just little taps, really and she's doing it out of boredom. But dear lord, Bucky's about to explode.

"Alex, sweetheart," Bucky says, slowly breathing out through his nose. "Could you please stop with that kicking? It's a bit annoying."

"But papa," she whines, drawling out the word. "I'm bored!"

"I know, love and I'm really sorry but papa’s gotta do something important for work," he sighs, trying to run a hand through her hair. She ducks and flops onto the chair next to him, an angry little pout on her face. "I have to finish it before we go on the plane. I'll do it as quickly as possible and then I'll be all yours, ok?"

It's not really surprising when he doesn't get an answer. With another sigh, he leans to the side and presses a kiss to the top of his daughter's head and then turns back to his laptop. 

From the very moment she woke up today, Bucky knew it's gonna be a long day. She was cranky and teary all morning, not wanting to say goodbye to Natasha and it took a good hour to calm her down. Then Bucky had to basically beg her to eat something before they left for the airport. It wasn't a great day. And Bucky knew she didn't do it just to make him miserable, she was just as frustrated and tired as he was. On top of that, he has to edit and upload a report from the conference and the airport Wi-Fi is so bad Bucky is close to tears himself.

The work would probably take less time if he wasn't getting distracted every minute or so and glancing to the side, making sure that Alex is fine. Or relatively fine, the bad mood excluded. At the moment she is slouching on the plastic chair, still pouting. Felicia—a pink stuffed Triceratops —is placed on her lap so at least Alex has something to occupy her for a moment.

Bucky tries his best to get through the documents quickly but he doesn't want to miss any errors either. He gets lost in the work for the entirety of about five minutes when he hears something truly surprising.

Alex laughs. It’s so unexpected after what seems like hours of complaining, crying and whining that Bucky’s head snaps up from his laptop and he looks at his daughter.

She is still sitting by his side, Felicia pressed closely to her chest and there is a smile on her face. It’s definitely not aimed at Bucky, though. So Bucky follows her line of sight and… oh.

It’s not like he didn’t notice the guy sitting across from them before. Because he did. It would be rather impossible not to notice this guy. He is tall and well-built and could look intimidating if it wasn’t for his bright blue eyes or tousled golden hair or the gentle smile or the fact that he’s wearing the softest beige sweater Bucky has ever seen. He is both ridiculously handsome and cute at the same time. So of course, Bucky noticed him before. But now he tries to figure out what about him made Alex laugh. It doesn’t take long, because the man is holding up his notebook, showing the page to Alex.

On the page are three little, cartoon-like doodles. The first one at the top looks unmistakably like Alex—her brows are furrowed, arms crossed and a little storm cloud is hovering above her. Underneath there’s his daughter again but this time she’s laughing, her eyes only small slits and a little sun peeks from behind the cloud. The last drawing, just next to the smiling Alex, is of Bucky. His head is partly hidden behind a laptop screen and there’s a look of utter concentration on his face. Above his cartoon persona floats a swarm of little gears, question marks and lightbulbs. Bucky snorts. It’s probably quite accurate.

Noticing that Bucky is staring at the drawing, the stranger startles and his cheeks turn red.

“I’m not some creep, I promise!” he starts explaining himself, before Bucky even opens his mouth. “I just—she seemed so upset and I’ve heard you said you have something important to do so I just wanted—Man, it’s weird, isn’t it? I’m sorry I promise I just wanted to help, not bug your kid without permission.”

“It’s not—,” Bucky starts, slightly taken aback. “It’s very sweet of you, actually. Thank you. Really, that’s just—I don’t mind. And Alex here seems to enjoy your drawings.” Bucky smiles down at his daughter and then at the stranger. His smile falters a bit and he sighs. “I’d really love to chat some more but I really need to get this shit done and the airport Wi-Fi is truly horrible.”

“Oh! Bad word!” Alex gasps, covering Bucky’s mouth with her little hand. “You said a bad word! No sweets for you!”

The stranger laughs at that and Bucky probably shouldn’t be as charmed as he feels right now. He just kisses Alex's hand and leans away from it.

“OK, sweetheart. Promise not to eat any when we get home,” he says solemnly. “But papa really needs to work a little longer, OK? Ten more minutes, I promise. Try not to bother the nice man too much until then, yeah?”

She lets a long-suffering sigh but she agrees.

“I’m Steve, by the way,” the man says, smiling at Bucky. 

Before he gets the chance to answer, Alex chimes in, “I’m Alexandra. And papa’s name is James but only mama and people at work call him that. Everyone calls him Bucky.”

The man — Steve — lets out a small laugh. “It’s nice to meet you both. Alexandra, do you want me to draw you something specific, while we let your papa work?”

“Oh, can you draw Felicia? She’s a...,” Alex furrows her brows in concentration, “tri-ce-ra-tops! That’s a dinosaur!” 

Steve leans forward from his chair and smiles at her. “She’s so cool! But weren’t dinosaurs kinda dangerous?”

“Some of them, yeah. They ate other dinosaurs. But the ones like Felicia only ate plants, so she’s cool.”

Steve lets out an attentive hum but something in his expression tells Bucky that it’s not new information for him and he’s just indulging Alex and letting her share what she knows. It makes Bucky feel a wave of sympathy towards this Steve guy.

Soon enough, a new page of Steve’s notebook gets covered with doodles of various dinosaurs, based on Alex’s jurassic knowledge—it’s a bit flawed, but Bucky is proud of her nonetheless.

It takes Bucky a few moments to stop sending glances towards the two. It’s partly because Steve—no matter how sweet he seems to be—is still a stranger. Steve might be bigger than him, but Bucky would end him if he tried to do anything to his little girl. But there are no red lights when it comes to Steve—and Bucky always prided himself on his ability to read people.

The other thing making it hard to go back to work is the fact that the scene he’s looking at is quite an adorable one. Both Alex and Steve are sitting at the edges of their seats, leaning over the passage between the two rows of chairs and their eyes are fixed on the notebook propped on Steve’s knee. They’re chatting, exchanging random facts about dinosaurs but since their knowledge is limited, they switch to talking about modern animals soon enough. Steve listens intently to whatever Alex has to say without patronising her. And sadly, Bucky has met a fair share of adults for whom it was impossible to take Alex seriously just because she was a kid. It calms Bucky enough to actually focus on his work for a little longer.

Some peace of mind does wonders for his concentration and the ten minutes he promised Alex are actually enough for him to finish editing the reports. The WiFi is still a bitch, though. However, after staring at the loading circle for what feels like an eternity, he is able to send the documents. With a triumphant little cheer, he turns off the laptop and slides it back into his bag.

Steve looks up at him and smiles. Alex completely ignores him, though, still too focused on whatever Steve was drawing. Bucky feels a bit betrayed. When she looks up, she glances at Steve first, probably to ask why the drawing has stopped and turns to Bucky when she notices Steve looking his way.

“Oh, you’ve finished the work, daddy?” she asks and when he nods, she smiles and reaches to wrap her arms around his neck. “It took you some time. But I’m proud of you.”

Bucky laughs at that, shaking his head slightly, “Thank you, sunshine. I see you were having fun with Steve while I was busy?”

“Yeah! Steve drawings are so pretty! He drew you riding a dinosaur!” Alex giggles, pointing at one of the little drawings.

Raising his brows, Bucky sends Steve a questioning look but the other man just shrugs and rubs at his neck. “It was her idea,” he says with a sheepish smile.

The doodle Alex is pointing at is indeed of him sitting on a dinosaur's back. It’s the one with the long, giraffe-like neck, Brachiosaurus if he remembers correctly. The cartoon Bucky’s arms are wrapped around the base of the reptile’s neck, his hair fluttering behind him and his mouth is open in either a big smile or a scream, he’s not sure. Either way, it’s a very cute drawing.

“Well,” Bucky says. “I’m not a fan of horses but I’d totally ride a dinosaur if I had a chance. Shouldn’t he have a saddle, though?”

It’s not even that funny but Steve still laughs and Bucky smiles at that. His daughter is less impressed or at least tries to appear so. She rolls her eyes but there’s a grin on her face.

“You’re so silly, daddy. They didn’t have saddles back then! And besides you’d need a very, very big one for a dinosaur!”

Bucky hums in agreement and looks up at the departure display. Noticing that their flight’s gate is open, he nudges Alex lightly.

“We gotta go, sweetheart,” he says. She perks up a bit but then glances at Steve with a small pout. “Sadly, we have to say goodbye to Steve. On the bright side, we’re gonna be home soon, yeah?”

Alex nods and slides off her chair. Steve looks up at the display and straightens up.

“Oh, my flight’s boarding, too. But you know what?” Steve asks and then rips the page with all the dinosaur doodles and holds it out to Alex. “You should keep this, if you want.”

Hearing this, Alex’s whole face lights up and she takes the drawings with gentle hands, as if afraid to mess it up. “Thank you, Steve! Those are so cool I’m gonna keep them forever!”

“I’m glad to hear that,” Steve smiles. He looks up at Bucky. “It was nice to meet you, guys.”

“Likewise. Thank you again for the help. It was very nice of you,” Bucky says sincerely.

“It was my pleasure. My knowledge about dinosaurs is  _ so  _ much better now,” Steve’s smile grows even bigger and Bucky chuckles.

Bucky leans to help Alex put on her little backpack, since she refuses to put down the drawing and then reaches for his bag. He rests his hand on his daughter’s back and turns to Steve one last time. He’s still sitting at the edge of his seat and is watching them. A smile is still plastered to his face and at this point Bucky is sure that it’s his default setting.

“Bye, Steve. Have a safe flight,” Bucky says.

“Bye, Steve. Thank you for the dinosaurs,” Alex adds, making Steve laugh.

“You are very welcome, Alexandra,” he says. “Have a nice day, guys.”

Bucky gently steers Alex towards their gate. Before they disappear behind the corner, he turns away to look at Steve one more time. The man is already looking back and he waves at them when he notices Bucky staring. Alex waves back enthusiastically and Bucky just ducks his head, feeling flustered all of sudden. He used to be more collected around nice, attractive people. And Steve definitely qualifies as both.

***

Some time later they finally make it to the plane. Alex flops down onto the middle seat and eventually — after a long discussion and promises that he won’t ruin it — she lets Bucky put the drawings she got from Steve into the folder he keeps his documents in. When the treasure is safely put away Bucky straightens to put his bag in the overhead compartment.

“Oh,” he hears a voice behind his back and a low chuckle quickly follows. “Fancy bumping into you here.”

Bucky looks over his shoulder and the surprise makes him try to close the compartment while his other hand is still holding the bag. He yelps in pain, making Alex look up.

“Steve!” she says with a smile, completely ignoring her father’s distress.

“Hello again, Alexandra,” Steve shoots her a quick smile and looks at Bucky, concerned. “You’re OK? I didn’t want to spook you.”

Man, he really got bad at keeping his cool around attractive people. Feeling a blush creep up his neck, Bucky nods. “No, no, you didn’t. I’m just a clutz, this happens a lot, ignore me.”

Steve raises an eyebrow at him but he doesn’t say anything more. For a moment they just stand in the narrow aisle, looking at each other. Finally, Bucky’s ability to think kicks back in and he moves to the side.

“Sorry, you probably want to get through to your seat.”

“Actually,” Steve says and glances down at the boarding pass in his hand. After checking it, he points to the seat by the window, on Alex’s other side. “That one’s mine.”

“Oh,” Bucky looks at the seat and then at Steve. His cheeks still feel warm for some reason but he hopes he's not blushing too visibly. "That's great. I'm just gonna—"

Bucky shifts to the other side and takes a step back, making room for Steve.

"You're flying with us back home?" Alex asks with a hopeful glint in her eyes. "Will you draw something more for me?"

"Alex, come on. Don't abuse Steve niceness like that," Bucky scolds her gently but before he can even finish the sentence, Steve starts shaking his head.

"It's fine, don't worry about it. I often doodle when I get bored anyway so I'd be honoured to draw for you again, Alexandra," Steve grins at her.

She actually lets out a little happy squeal when she hears that and Bucky's heart skips a beat. He's absolutely charmed by the way Steve treats his daughter. He really seems like entertaining some random little girl is the best thing he could be doing and while Bucky - absolutely objectively - thinks that Alex is the most wonderful little girl in the world, it still seems unusual. And he positively melts every time that Steve uses her full name, just because that was the way she introduced herself the first time. Most adults Bucky knows don't do that with other adults, not to mention kids. And Steve is just so… kind and genuine, it takes Bucky off guard but it's a really nice surprise.

"Ok, fine," Bucky says with a smile. "You have no idea what you've brought on yourself. Is it possible to strain your hand from drawing too much? The flight's almost two hours, right?"

"Does your dad always complain this much?" Steve asks Alex and she giggles in response. He sends Bucky a glance over her head and he has a smirk on his face. Ignoring Bucky again, he says to Alex, "Hey, have you ever watched Sesame Street? There was this one grouchy green guy."

Bucky just sends him his most unimpressed look. Steve doesn't seem affected. Alex is delighted. And in truth, Bucky has to bite the inside of his cheek to contain a smile.

It turns out that on top of being nice and lovely, Steve is also a little shit, because he draws a Bucky-version of Oscar the Grouch - with a grumpy expression and wild hair, sitting in a garbage can. It's actually amazing. Bucky doesn't say that out loud, but he snorts when he sees it, so that might betray him a little.

This time — prompted by the mention of Sesame Street — the conversation resolves mostly around animated movies. To Bucky’s surprise, it turns out that Steve is a huge Disney fan. He doesn’t even try to hide it. Not to brag but Bucky knows his way around animated movies — partly because he has a 7-year-old daughter and partly because who doesn’t like animated movies? But compared to Steve and Alex? He knows nothing. They use names he doesn’t even recognise - who or what even is Flit? Judging by Steve’s drawing it’s some kind of a bird, apparently. When Bucky can’t remember — he knows it, of course, it just slipped his mind — the name of the redheaded princess from  _ Brave,  _ he is given the most disdainful look he’s ever seen. Both by his daughter and by Steve. Bucky still tries to participate in the conversation, at least for as much as they let him. He never expected his own daughter to team up with some stranger against him. It hurts.

The pain is all forgotten when Steve and Alex start quietly singing  _ Under the Sea _ from  _ The Little Mermaid  _ together. Bucky can’t help a laugh that bubbles from his chest at the sight. How is Steve even real, Bucky has no idea. He is over six feet of muscle, his bicep is bigger than Alex's head and he could probably bench press Bucky and here he is, sitting next to Bucky’s little girl, drawing a picture of Megara, because she’s his favourite Disney princess and singing a song from _The_ __Little_ Mermaid _ .

This guy can’t be real.

About half an hour into the flight it turns out that Bucky was wrong — Alex does leave Steve alone but it’s only because the tiredness catches up to her and she falls asleep. And she’s sleeping with her head resting on Steve’s arm. It’s a really nice arm, Bucky has to admit, a nap on such an arm would be good and comfortable even for him, probably. But that doesn’t change the fact that he feels left out.

“Sorry,” Bucky says quietly. “You probably want your arm back, I can just—”

He offers to move Alex’s sleeping body but Steve just shrugs with his free arm, careful not to jostle the girl.

“Don't want to wake her and I really don't mind," Steve says, smiling at Bucky.

"You sure?" Bucky asks and after getting a nod in confirmation, he chuckles and shakes his head. “I keep trying to figure out where the catch is but I’ve got nothing. You’re just naturally this kind, aren’t you?”

Steve barks out a laugh and then slaps his hand over his mouth to quiet the noise. He looks down to make sure he didn’t wake Alex.

“Oh there’s plenty wrong with me,” Steve says with a chuckle. “For one I’m usually really awkward around kids. Alexandra’s such a great girl, though. But I do like to help and try to be nice whenever I can.”

Bucky narrows his eyes at Steve. “You think you’d side-track me by complimenting my daughter? You’re totally right, but that doesn’t mean I’m not curious.”

With an exaggerated eye roll, Steve makes the ‘bring it’ gesture and grins. “Come on. Hit me with your best guesses.”

“OK. OK, fine,” Bucky says and shifts in his seat so he can look at Steve more directly. Crossing his arms, he asks, “Do I have a limited number of guesses?”

“It’s not that long of a flight,” Steve shrugs with one shoulder, grin still in place.

In a theatrically thoughtful gesture Bucky strokes his chin gauging Steve with his eyes.

“You… secretly work as a hitman” Bucky says slowly, “or like, an underwear model. Which is not a bad thing to do.”

A blush creeps up Steve’s cheeks as he laughs again. “Those are… pretty far off. Why those two?”

“Well, you’re built appropriately for both from what I can see,” Bucky explains, enjoying the way Steve cheeks go darker. Maybe he’s not so helpless at talking to attractive people as he thought. It feels a whole lot like flirting.

That terrifies him for a moment. He didn't do flirting in what feels like ages. He doesn't have time for this. Should he even do this? He has a daughter, he shouldn’t just—

Bucky takes a deep breath and smacks himself mentally across the head. He’s not doing anything bad. He’s just talking and having fun with an attractive stranger. Maybe even flirting a bit. And that’s OK, this is allowed, he doesn’t have to go anywhere else with that. It’s not like he’s ever going to see the guy again, anyway. Natasha would punch him for denying himself that. So he will make sure not to mention it the next time they talk.

“Well…,” Steve rubs the back of his neck. “I am not. Hitman or— I’m neither of those. I’m actually an illustrator. Mostly freelance stuff. I paint sometimes, too. But that’s mostly for fun.”

“OK, fine. Somehow I can believe that. You seem like an artsy type,” Bucky agrees.

“No hitman vibes anymore?”

“Who says a hitman can’t enjoy painting in his free time?”

Steve laughs, throwing his head back. Somehow he manages to keep the left side of his body completely still, mindful of Alex sleeping on him.

“I don’t know if there’s a point in trying to convince you, but I’m really not.”

“Sure. Probably what a hitman would say,” Bucky waves a hand at him but smiles. “That’s cool though. Being able to get paid for doing what you love.”

“It is. Sometimes you get frustrated enough to hate it but it’s still pretty cool,” Steve agrees. “You don’t like your job?”

Bucky scrunches his nose, making a non-committal sound as he tries to find the best way to explain. “It’s not that I don’t like it. It’s fun. Interesting, exciting, sometimes frustrating as hell, too. And the responsibility can be incredibly stressful. It’s just… I never took time to think about what I really like doing in life. And since the job was good enough, I just stuck with it.”

Steve hums, nodding along to Bucky's words. "It's never too late to figure it out, you know?" he says. "I mean, I don't wanna impose and tell you how to live your life or anything. I'd never. I just— I think it's an important thing to know."

"You might be right," Bucky agrees. He glances down at Alex. "I don't think it's a good time for me to experiment, you know? Besides — if there's one thing I know for sure that I like it's having this little rascal around."

The smile on Steve's face turns soft. But only for a moment, before it turns back into that smirk he had earlier. "Any guesses left? About my dark side?"

"A few," Bucky grins. 

It's a bit of a lie because he really struggles to see Steve as anything but perfect but he can try. It's just a game they're playing to kill time after all.

"You are that kind of guy who can eat garbage food and not move a finger and still look like you've just walked straight out of a gym. I hate those people. It's so unfair."

"Are all of your guesses based on how I look? I kind of see a pattern here so far."

Bucky opens his mouth to protest but there's something in the way Steve looks at him, with a raised eyebrow and one corner of his mouth quirked up that makes him close his mouth without a word. He might be blushing. Maybe he's being too forward. It's probably not appropriate to talk about a stranger's body this much.

Before he gets the chance to apologize, Steve answers, "And you're wrong, again. I like working out. Takes my mind off things, helps me clear my head when I need that. Besides I used to be small and sickly my whole childhood. Couldn't even play with other kids for too long without getting an asthma attack. So I'm kinda compensating for that," he jokes.

"Really?"

"Yeah. All pointy elbows and bony knees."

"Huh," Bucky says. "Bet you looked way cuter than me when I had my bowl cut. We all had our dark moments."

Steve laughs again and Bucky really enjoys the sound of that. He really enjoys Steve's company in general, which is weird considering they've just met. It usually takes him much more time to get comfortable around people. Maybe it's the fact that they'll go their separate ways as soon as the plane lands makes it all easier.

"I'm kinda disappointed, you know?" Steve starts after a moment. "I thought you'd guess at least once. Or at least would be more creative with those."

"Who says I'm done? It was all on purpose, I was just assessing, gathering intel. I'm a scientist, I don't know if I've mentioned that before," Bucky points a finger at Steve. "You've got to be methodical about stuff."

Raising his hands in surrender, Steve tries to keep a straight face. He fails miserably.

"I wanted to say that you secretly hate dogs or cats but that would be just too harsh," Bucky says. "I don't think you're a monster."

"I love dogs," Steve confirms. "Always wanted to get one but my flat's too small and I doubt that'd be good for a dog. I don't have anything against cats but I feel like they don't… like  _ me _ that much."

Bucky chuckles. "I feel like there's a story there."

"Just— My friend Sam has a cat and she absolutely hates me. I can't leave my phone on the table cause she pushes it off, but she doesn't touch Sam's. Every time I'm there she follows me around and hisses at me for no reason. She peed in my shoe more than once," Steve says and tries to look hurt when Bucky starts laughing. "It's not funny! I haven't done anything to deserve this. I tried to bribe her with food, I tried to pet her but I only got scratched for my efforts. And she doesn't do that with anyone but me."

"So that's your dark secret? That your nemesis is a cat?" Bucky asks with a grin.

"It's… definitely true."

“Can’t say I’ve seen that one coming,” Bucky laughs.

Steve shrugs with one arm. “I’m full of surprises.”

_ Clearly _ , Bucky thinks, shaking his head at the other man.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all - thank you so so so much for the warm welcome this fic has gotten, it made me so incredibly proud because I was so worried before posting it! Every single comment and kudos here or reblog and like on tumblr means everythign to me :') I hope you won't be disappointed with the rest of the story ♥
> 
> Here's the second chapter and I hope you'll like that one, too. The good news is that the third chapter is also ready — ish, cause it's a bit shorter than the previous two so maybe I'll manage to add something. And i've managed to do a bit of chapter 4 as well, so hopefully I'll be able to post every week, but don't hold me to that promise, I'm terrible when it comes to stick to a schedule, but I promise to try my best dskjaka 
> 
> Without further ado, here's chapter two - with an (un)surprising encounter, some texting and some Alex & Clint shenanigans. Enjoy! ♥
> 
> And feel free to come say hi **[on tumblr](http://captainjanegay.tumblr.com/)**

Completely unsurprisingly, the life of the Barnes family goes back to normal pretty soon. After the trip to DC it takes them a day or two to fall back into their old routine. But when Monday rolls around, Alex goes back to school, Bucky goes back to work and it all feels normal again.

Steve might cross Bucky’s mind once or twice. It's hard not to think about him when his drawings are proudly exposed on the bookshelf in Alexandra's room. Plus, Bucky doesn't have many opportunities to meet people outside work lately. It's a bit sad that a random encounter in an airport is one of the more exciting things that happened to him lately.

But there are more pressing matters that occupy Bucky's mind than a handsome stranger he's not going to see again. To be precise - the On Point! Dance Studio Annual Fall Dance Recital is just around the corner so that’s basically the only topic that’s being brought up in the Barnes’ Household lately. Alex is both excited and stressed out and Bucky does his best to assure her that everything is going to turn out great. The video chats with Natasha happen almost daily since they work really well as a stress relief for Alex. 

From a very young age, Alexandra wanted to do ballet. Having a mother who is dancing with the American Ballet Theatre probably had something to do with that. Natasha wasn't delighted at first. She knew first-hand all the ways ballet could affect both physical and mental health of a child. She made sure to tell Alexandra how hard it could be and that she should do this only for as long as it brings her joy. She also took her time and ran many background checks to find a studio with a good and supportive environment. 

Now it's been over a year and Alex is still as enamoured with ballet as she was at the beginning. And Bucky, being the supportive father he always tried to be, knows all about arabesques, cambrés, pliés, rond de jambes and other fancy French words. He still gets confused which is which sometimes, but he tried his best. Though, both of his girls aren't that impressed with his efforts and roll their eyes at him every time he messes something up.

It’s a Thursday afternoon and they are on their way home after Bucky picked up Alex from her dance classes. The day is warm enough for them to take a walk through the Prospect Park and enjoy the stroll. Alex bounces excitedly at Bucky's side — it's impressive she still has energy for this — and talks about the costumes for the recital. Bucky is smiling, listening to her happy chatter as he swings their joined hands.

Suddenly, Alex stops mid-sentence and lets out an excited gasp. She yells "look!" and before Bucky can even react, she darts across the lawn.

"Alex! Stop! Where are you going?!" Bucky calls, running after her.

He's in good enough shape, but she's a 7-year-old girl with endless energy. Of course she's quicker. Luckily, she doesn't run far, stopping at the next alley in front of some stranger. Bucky's heart skips a bit in fear and he speeds up his pace.

But then he realises that the man Alex noticed is not a stranger. And his heart skips a bit but it's not in fear this time.

Steve's dressed in sweatpants and a short-sleeved shirt. His biceps and neck are glistening with sweat in the afternoon sun, so it’s safe to assume he’s been jogging. A smile appears on Steve's face when he recognises Alex. He says something to her and looks up, scanning his surroundings. When his eyes land on Bucky his smile grows even bigger and Bucky can't help but reciprocate the gesture.

"Bucky, hi! I thought you must’ve been around when Alex ambushed me," Steve laughs.

"Yeah, we're on our way home," Bucky explains and then turns to Alex with a stern look on his face. "You can't just run away from me like that, you little monster!"

"But it's Steve!" Alex exclaims, pointing a finger at the other man.

Bucky chuckles and shakes his head. "I know. But you can't. Even if it's Steve or mum or uncle Clint or anyone else, yeah? You gotta tell me first and then you can run. Running away without explanation is bad. I'm gonna just drop dead from all the stress you’re causing me."

"You're being dramatic, papa" Alex says rolling her eyes. She looks and sounds exactly like Natasha and Bucky tries not to laugh. "But OK, I'm sorry. I won't do that again." She wraps her arms around Bucky's middle in a quick hug. 

Only then Bucky looks up and meets Steve's eyes who is watching them with a little smile on his face.

"Sorry we've interrupted your jog," Bucky says, trying to stop his eyes from wandering down Steve's muscled figure.

"Oh, don't worry about it! I was about to finish anyway." Steve waves a hand at that. "It's so great to see you guys! What are you up to?"

“Picked this little monster from her ballet class.” Bucky puts his hand on Alexandra’s head and she quickly squirms away with a grumble. “And now we’re heading home to cook some dinner and rest, nothing exciting.”

Steve nods and says with a smile, “Didn’t know you were from around here.” Then he turns to Alex. “You’re a ballerina? That sounds so cool.”

“I am!” Alex exclaims, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I’m gonna be as good as mama when I grow up!”

Steve raises his eyebrows in surprise and sends a quick glance Bucky’s way. “Is mama also a dancer?”

Bucky nods and opens his mouth to answer, but Alex beats him to it. “She is! She’s dancing with the American Ballet Theatre and she’s the best!”

Pride swells in his chest when Bucky sees the impressed look on Steve’s face. He always feels it when he gets to tell people that his best friend is a prima ballerina in one of the best ballet theatres in the world. Natasha is ridiculously talented and she deserves all the praise in the world. And he’s not saying this just because they’re friends. 

“And my ballet studio is having a dance recital this month!” Alex continues excitedly. “I’m gonna do a solo dance!”

“Really? I’ll keep my fingers crossed for you, I bet you’ll do amazing.” Steve smiles at her.

“Oh, you can come and see me perform if you want! Would you come?”

Bucky blinks, looking down at his daughter. He did not see that coming, although he understands that the recital is important enough for her that she’d gladly invite all the strangers if she could. She is staring up at Steve with huge, hopeful eyes.

“I’d love to, I can only imagine how great it’s gonna be,” Steve starts, but then he looks up at Bucky, unsure.

Bucky can’t blame him. He’d be taken aback after being asked to come to a dance recital by a random 7 year old girl, too. He’s about to save Steve from the sad duty of letting a kid down by explaining to Alex that it’s not the best idea and Steve has probably tons of other things to do.

But what comes out of his mouth is, “You should come, if you want. They're gonna dance to a bunch of Disney songs, so you’ll probably enjoy it.”

A laugh escapes Steve’s mouth. Surprisingly, he doesn’t seem annoyed at Bucky’s lack of help. Instead, he says, “Well, in that case how can I say no? If that’s OK with you, I’d love to come.”

“How about you give me your number so I can text you the details?” Bucky offers. 

Steve agrees and quickly types a string of numbers into the phone that Bucky hands him. “Here. I won’t keep you any longer. It was great bumping into you and I’ll see you around, yeah?”

“Bye, Steve! See you at the dance!” Alex waves as Steve starts walking backwards.

“Can’t wait!” Steve sends her thumbs up and smiles up at Bucky before turning around and jogging down the path.

It’s not until they are back home, chilling on the couch well-fed and lazy when Bucky realises what he has done. Smacking himself mentally across the head, he fishes his phone out of his pocket. After a moment of hesitation, he types out a text to Steve.

> **To: Steve  
> ** Hi, Steve. It's Bucky here. I just wanted to say that I know sitting for a few hours on a primary school dance recital might not be your idea of a fun Friday afternoon. So if you don't want to come but are just too polite to say so, I'd totally understand and I can explain it to Alex.  
>  _Thursday, 5:47 P.M._

The answer comes almost half an hour later. Not that Bucky was counting.

> **From: Steve  
> ** No, I promise that's not the case! I'd really like to come if I'm free on whichever Friday it's gonna be. But if you don't want me here, it's completely fine. I know we're basically strangers, so that's probably weird if I'd come, right?"  
>  _Thursday, 6:11 P.M._

Bucky considers it for a moment. It would be kind of weird. No matter how nice Steve seems like, Bucky has talked to him just for two hours or so. It was enough for Bucky to like the man but was it enough for Bucky to invite him to his daughter's dance recital? Was there a protocol for that? Either Bucky's social skills are rustier than he thought or he is just overthinking it.

It's probably both.

> **To: Steve  
> ** Maybe a little? But if you want to, you should come. Alex will be delighted to see that more people came to see her. And since we already established that you're not a creep or a hitman, I don't mind you being there ;)  
>  _Thursday, 6:19 P.M._

> **To: Steve  
> ** Btw it will be worth it, Alex is brilliant. And it's not just my fatherly pride speaking.  
>  _Thursday, 6:20 P.M._

> **From: Steve  
> ** I bet :) I'll be there then, just send me the details. It was great bumping into you. I had no idea you guys were from Brooklyn!  
>  _Thursday, 6:22 P.M._

> **To: Steve  
> ** Born and raised here, both me and the little one ;)  
>  _Thursday, 6:23 P.M._

> **From: Steve  
> ** Small world, huh? ;)  
>  _Thursday, 6:23 P.M._

> **To: Steve  
> ** It really is! You won’t find a parking spot anywhere in this city but you’d totally find a guy who you’d bumped into in the airport in DC. Amazing!  
>  _Thursday, 6:29 P.M._

> **From: Steve  
> ** It’s either destiny, magic or the wonders of technology that somehow make people taking the same flight end up in the same city - it's truly insane!  
>  _Thursday, 6:35 P.M._

> **To: Steve  
> ** Very funny, smartass, you know what I meant. So I’m gonna tell you that the recital is in two weeks on the 18th September at 6 p.m. but since it’s gonna be in the same city we’re in right now, you’re gonna figure it out ♥  
>  _Thursday, 6:40 P.M._

> **From: Steve  
> ** Who’s the smartass now?  
>  _Thursday, 6:40 P.M._  
>   
> 

Bucky chuckles to himself and puts the phone away when Alex jumps on the couch with Felicia the Triceratops under her one arm and Barney the Bear under the other, demanding that Bucky plays with her before bedtime. 

And how can he say no, when Felicia and Barney are going on a space mission to find a rare space-plant with magical properties?

It’s not until he tucks Alex to bed before retreating to his own bedroom, when he checks his phone again. There’s another three texts from Steve waiting for him.

> **From: Steve  
> ** A quick google search tells me there are around 30 dance studios in NYC and you should know that I’m stubborn enough to figure it out just to prove a point. So I’ll be there whether you want it or not.  
>  _Thursday, 6:51 P.M._

> **From: Steve  
> ** Unless you really don’t want to. Then I won’t. Really, I don’t wanna impose or be weird.  
>  _Thursday, 7:03 P.M._

> **From: Steve  
> ** I think it’s too late for the latter, though.  
>  _Thursday, 7:09 P.M._

Bucky shakes his head, laughing to himself again. Steve really is something.

> **To: Steve  
> ** If I did mind, I’d told you. Besides it’s an open event so everybody can come. You don’t have to stress about it. And now I’m really tempted not to give you the address just to mess with you.  
>  _Thursday, 8:43 P.M._

> **From: Steve  
> ** You should know that I've been forbidden from playing "truth or dare" by my friends cause apparently I "always take dares too seriously, what the fuck, Steve", so jokes on you  
>  _Thursday, 8:47 P.M._

> **To: Steve  
> ** Damn, what did you have to do to be banned from playing it? I mean as far as you don’t hurt anyone or like jump out of buildings or something it's not that bad?  
>  _Thursday, 8:50 P.M._

> **To: Steve  
> ** Did you jump out of buildings, Steve?  
>  _Thursday, 8:57 P.M._

> **To: Steve  
> ** Wait DID YOU?  
>  _Thursday, 9:09 P.M._

> **From: Steve  
> ** Of course not. That'd be reckless, highly dangerous and stupid.  
>  _Thursday, 9:11 P.M._

> **To: Steve  
> ** Somehow, this did not convince me. At all.  
>  _Thursday, 9:11 P.M._

***

"You've eaten the red gummy bear. Prepare to die." 

It’s what Bucky hears when he comes back from work the next day.

He chuckles to himself, slowly taking off his coat and shoes. The state of the living room might not be a pretty sight so he needs a moment to brace himself. Taking a big breath, Bucky rounds a corner and assesses the situation.

It's not as bad as on some Fridays. Because Fridays are the days when Alex finishes school at 12:30P.M. which means that she'd have to wait for almost four hours before Bucky could pick her up. So Clint's the one who takes care of her in the meantime.

Bucky loves Clint. They've been friends forever and there's probably nothing they wouldn't do for each other. And Alex loves Clint, too. He's the embodiment of the "fun uncle" and she's delighted whenever they're left alone to their mischief. The only bad part is that there are times when there's way too much mischief for Bucky to handle. Alex is hard to tame on her own sometimes. But when she teams up with Clint? There's nothing Bucky can do but hide and pray for the best.

So he doesn't even throw a second glance at Clint who is holding a Styrofoam sword and one of the couch cushions, a red bandana tied around his head for some reason. Alex is hiding behind an armchair on the other side of the room with her toy bow sticking out over the backrest.

"Hello, my children. Please wait with the killing until after dinner, OK?" Bucky says, walking across what's obviously a warzone.

"Can't promise anything," Clint answers solemnly. "She ignored the pact."

"If the pact included anything about eating sweets before dinner, I'm going to ignore it too, since it's a dumb pact to begin with."

Clint starts to say something more but his words turn into a shriek as Alex takes advantage of his lack of attention and charges at him with her own Styrofoam blade. 

Bucky shakes his head and disappears in the kitchen - but not before he snaps a quick picture of Alex pinning Clint down to the ground with her whole 7-year-old power and smacks him with the sword. He sends it to Natasha.

The yelling and shrieking coming from the living room slowly get quieter as Bucky starts preparing dinner. Soon enough Clint ushers Alex to her room so they can put away the toys and get ready for dinner. Because Clint might be a mess himself but he always takes the best care of Alex and makes sure she’s a bit less of a mess than him. For both of those things Bucky is eternally grateful.

Too focused on chopping the carrots and humming whatever song got stuck in his brain, Bucky doesn't notice that Clint is in the kitchen with him until the man in question jumps onto the counter beside him and snatches a carrot from the cutting board.

"For god's sake, Barton!" Bucky yells, startled. "Warn a guy, really. Especially when the guy's holding a knife."

"It's not my fault that even though I lost my hearing, you're still the deaf one here." Clint grins, reaching for another carrot before Bucky smacks his hand away. "Who's Steve?"

Bucky's too surprised at the sudden topic change to play dumb. "What? How do you know about Steve?" 

It's unfortunate, considering the obnoxious smile that appears on Clint's face.

"A little birdie told me there's some Steve guy that you've invited to Alex's performance," Clint says. "I'll be happy for you if you weren't hiding a secret boyfriend from your best friend."

"I'm not hiding a secret boyfriend, what the fuck." Bucky has to smack Clint's hand away from the carrots again. "Steve's just… A guy I’ve met.”

“So he’s just a potential secret boyfriend, then?”

Bucky sighs, taking the cutting board to the other side of the kitchen to move it out of Clint’s reach.

“No, he’s not. I’ve met him at the airport in DC. He was nice enough to try and keep Alex occupied when I had some work to do. He’s the one who did the drawings on Alex’s bookshelf. And we bumped into him again at the park yesterday,” Bucky explains. “I barely know the guy.”

“And yet, he’s coming to the dance recital.”

Bucky busies himself with stirring the chicken and when he finally answers, it comes out a bit defensive, “Alex invited him.”

Clint only raises an eyebrow at him, but drops the topic. Bucky is grateful. Mostly because there’s really nothing to talk about. Steve’s not even a proper friend, leave alone Clint’s ridiculous suggestion. Barely an acquaintance, that’s what Steve is.

Though Bucky is really happy he’ll be at the recital. Of course as long as he really intends to come. It’ll be nice to see him again. Alex will be delighted and Bucky insisted Steve should come solely for her sake.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was pondering whether I should leave the dance recital for later or just go with it and I decided that I had no idea how else could this third chapter go, so here it is! I hope you'll like it and as always I wanted to thank you so so much for all the love and kind words :') They all make my heart melt and make me actually excited (even though still anxious) about posting next chapters :') Thank you so much to everyone who has read, commented, liked or reblogged this fic, it means the world to me ♥
> 
> I was worried this one is going to be shorter but I've added some last minute Natasha content because who doesn't love Natasha content? I certainly do. Enjoy and see you all next time ♥
> 
> In the meantime, you can always come say hi on [**tumblr**](http://captainjanegay.tumblr.com/) ♥

Bucky is nervous. It feels almost as if he is the one who’s going to dance in front of all those people in less than an hour. Although he thinks it would be less anxiety-inducing than watching Alex's performance. It’s not like he doesn’t believe in her. If there’s one thing that Bucky is sure of, it’s that his daughter is talented and brilliant and that she’s going to be amazing. He just knows how important it is to her, so he wants everything to go perfectly. Which is why in the last two minutes he has sent at least four messages to Clint to make sure he won't be late. 

Each time Clint told him to fuck off and not be a dick. There’s still over thirty minutes left before the recital starts and objectively Bucky knows Clint would never miss something that’s so important to Alex. It doesn’t stop him from worrying, though.

With a sigh, he slides his phone into his back pocket and looks around the lobby. Not that many people are around yet and Bucky is not that surprised. Besides the parents, there are rarely any other people coming to those things. Sometimes not even all the parents do. Alex probably has the biggest support group even on the smallest events. And Bucky doesn’t even need to drag anyone forcefully. They’re just lucky enough to have plenty of supportive friends in their life and thinking about it makes Bucky really emotional sometimes.

The door opens and Bucky’s eyes skip that way automatically. The man that walks in is tall and blond-haired, dressed in an old-school brown leather jacket and a scarf wrapped haphazardly around his neck. He hovers by the door for a few moments and looks a bit lost, scanning the lobby.

“Steve?” Bucky says and the man’s head turns towards him quickly.

When Steve's eyes land on Bucky, a big smile blooms on his face.

“Bucky, hi!” Steve says, walking over to him.

“You came.” Bucky points out with a smile. Steve made it clear on a few occasions that he will, but actually seeing him here is still a bit of a surprise.

“Of course. Didn’t want to let Alex down. Or you, but mostly her,” the sincerity in his voice warms Bucky’s heart. Steve rubs at his neck in a nervous gesture and reaches to his messenger bag. “I’ve actually— You’ve said how important to her it was so I— I’ve made a little something for her, I hope that’s OK?”

Surprised, Bucky looks down and sees that Steve is holding an open folder. Inside, there’s a drawing made with coloured pencils and when Bucky sees it his breath catches.

It shows Alexandra in full ballerina gear, with a big fluffy tutu and a little tiara on her head. There’s a huge smile on her face and her eyes are sparkling in the spotlights. She’s caught mid-pirouette. Even though it’s just a drawing, it’s so dynamic Bucky half expects her to start twirling across the page. Around her there is a confetti of musical notes and roses being thrown her way, some of them scattered on the stage in front of her. It’s so beautiful Bucky’s fingers twitch forward to touch the drawing but he quickly catches himself.

“God, Steve—” he starts but he has no idea what to say next.

“I just— I don’t know, I wanted to have a little gift for her? The dancers are given flowers after their performances, but I— I don’t know, I can just—,” Steve mumbles.

When Bucky finally tears his eyes away from the drawing, he notices that Steve has an honest to God blush on his cheeks and he’s still rubbing his neck in that nervous gesture. A sudden urge to wrap this amazing, kind man in a hug overwhelms Bucky. He manages to stop himself. Instead, he puts his hand on Steve’s bicep and squeezes lightly.

“It’s beautiful. I can’t even— My god, it’s amazing. Alex will go crazy when she sees it. I bet she’s gonna make me hang it somewhere,” Bucky lets out a chuckle. “And I’ll gladly do that, it’s really wonderful.”

A shy smile appears on Steve’s face as he closes the folder and carefully tucks it into his bag. “It’s nothing, just a little drawing.”

“Maybe for you but she’s gonna be over the moon. And I can’t believe that you really came and did this drawing and— You’re amazing, Steve.”

The blush on Steve’s cheeks only deepens. He looks down, refusing to look into Bucky’s eyes and he opens his mouth to say something.

But before he gets the chance, there’s some commotion on the other side of the lobby. When Bucky looks that way, he sees Clint and Scott arguing about something, the former holding a phone in front of his face. Walking calmly behind them are Hope and Cassie, both with similar tired yet fond expressions on their faces.

“Hi guys, you’ve made it!” Bucky greets them with a smile.

“We did! Clint kept rushing us cause apparently you’ve been bugging him for the last hour not to be late,” Hope says giving Bucky a one-armed hug. 

“I—,” Bucky stutters. “It wasn’t an _hour_. Besides I wouldn’t if I knew he was picking you up.”

“Of course it was an hour and of course you would, Barnes. Don’t lie and pretend you're not a crazy person,” Clint says, looking up from the phone. 

Clint’s eyes skip from Bucky to Steve, who moved half a step back and is watching the commotion with a polite smile on his face. When Clint looks back at Bucky, he wiggles his eyebrows with an awful smile. 

Bucky never wanted to smack him so badly. 

“You won’t introduce us?” Clint asks.

Sending him one last hateful look, Bucky glances at Steve, giving him an apologetic smile.

“Sorry. Here’s Scott, his fiancée Hope and his daughter Cassie. And this idiot is Clint, sorry about him. Guys, this is Steve, a… friend, we’ve met recently.”

“It’s nice to meet you all,” Steve says with a smile.

“Wait, what Steve? How is James making friends, I didn’t know he could do that?” comes a voice from Clint’s phone, making Bucky groan.

“We’re just as surprised, Nat.”

Clint turns his phone around, showing the screen with Natasha’s slightly glitchy face on it. She quickly scans the new surroundings and her eyebrows shoot up when she notices Steve.

“Oh hello,” she greets with a signature Natasha smile, kind but slightly wolfish and possibly intimidating to strangers. "I'm Natasha."

“Um.” Steve sends a confused glance Bucky’s way, but says. “Nice to meet you too, Natasha. I’m Steve, the new friend. Apparently that's an achievement for Bucky.”

If Bucky felt sympathetic for Steve for being ambushed by his friends, he’s not anymore. Instead, he groans again and ignores the small smirk that Steve sends him and Natasha’s “I like this one!”.

“Can you all just shut up and proceed to the hall, please?” Bucky gestures towards the door across the room. “Since we’re all here already and the show is going to start soon we can as well take our seats already.”

When they don't move, Bucky ushers them forward, waving his arms as if they were a flock of chickens. Sometimes it feels like they are. Eventually, they do move and Bucky sends a small smile towards Steve who hangs back waiting for him.

"So, um—," Steve starts, looking at the small group in front of them before glancing back at Bucky. "Your wife couldn't come?"

Steve's voice is conversational so he seems surprised when Bucky halts to a stop.

"I'm—” Bucky furrows his brows in confusion. "I don't have a wife."

"Oh." Steve looks both confused and embarrassed now. "I'm sorry, I didn't— I just assumed, since Alex mentioned her mum a lot and— sorry."

"Oh no, Bucky's single," Scott says, apparently hearing the little exchange.

"And desperately ready to mingle," Clint prompts helpfully, throwing a grin over his shoulder.

It feels like Bucky has been doing nothing but groaning in distress during the past few minutes. "I'm not desperate—"

"I'm the mum!" comes Natasha's chipper voice from Clint's video call and he kindly turns the phone around. "Not the wife, though. James's too insufferable as anything but a friend. And likes men too much for that."

"Tasha, for fuck's sake," Bucky says loudly, getting a dirty look from some random mum who overhears him.

He pointedly doesn't look at Steve throughout this whole exchange. Why do his friends hate him so much? He doesn't deserve to be treated like this.

"Can we just—" Bucky takes a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose, "not talk about this and to the performance, please. It's starting soon."

It's Hope who stops this madness and decides not to ignore Bucky's obvious discomfort. With a smile directed at both Steve and Bucky, she takes Scott by his elbow and turns him around, pushing Clint slightly towards the hall. They don't object. Bucky has never been more grateful for her.

It's not until a few minutes later when they are all seated in the hall, surrounded by the quiet murmur of different conversations before the show, when Steve leans closer from his seat next to Bucky's.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," Steve says quietly.

Bucky chances a look at him. The lightning is dim but the distance between them is small enough for Bucky to make out the dark blush dusting Steve's cheeks.

"It's not your fault my friends are idiots," Bucky jokes to lighten the mood. "Should've worn ya' before I've invited you."

Steve laughs at that. "Still, though. Shouldn't have just assumed things."

"It was a perfectly normal assumption to make." Bucky points out. "Really, don't stress about it. It's all good."

For a moment, Steve doesn't look convinced but eventually he nods and smiles. Bucky reciprocates the gesture. For a moment they just look at each other but their attention is soon drawn towards the front of the room. Some more lights above the stage appear when the owner of the studio walks in with a smile, asking everyone to take a seat. Her introductions are pretty standard and she keeps them short. Soon enough, the main show begins.

It’s really entertaining, even considering the fact that the age of the performers varies between 4 and 12 years old. They’re dancing in many configurations, the smallest dancers mostly in big groups and Bucky smiles the whole time, watching their — sometimes still clumsy but oh so cheery — dancing. Two of the oldest kids perform an amazing pas de deux to the music from Sleeping Beauty. They dance to a lot of contemporary music and loads of Disney songs, to Steve’s great delight. Bucky only shakes his head with a disbelieving smile when he hears Steve singing along to _A Whole New World_ under his breath. Feeling Bucky’s eyes on him, Steve only shrugs and laughs quietly.

Alex is in two group dances and she has her own solo performance. She’s brilliant in all of them. And it’s not just Bucky’s biased opinions, because the hall erupts in loud applause when she finishes her solo with a bow and a huge smile on her face. Watching the concentration on her face, mixed with the absolute joy of dancing makes Bucky teary-eyed and by the end of her last performance he doesn’t even try to stop the tears. All the pride he feels, threatens to tear him apart. He would be the proudest even if she sucked but the fact that she manages to awe everyone in the room makes it all so much better.

After the recital is over, some of the guests leave to wait in the lobby but Bucky and his friends stick around in the hall, moving closer to the stage. Soon enough, Alex bolts from backstage, still in her dress and everything and launches herself into Bucky’s arms.

“You were incredible, my love!" Bucky says, hugging her tight and kissing the side of her face. “I’m so proud of you! You made me cry real tears, you were so beautiful.”

“Thanks, papa,” Alex laughs, leaning away a bit to look at him, her eyes sparkling with joy.

Soon enough, she gets whipped away from Bucky’s embrace by Clint who starts spinning her around the room, both of them shrieking loudly. They earn some disapproving looks by doing that, but they couldn’t care less. Bucky only watches them with a fond smile, laughing and getting emotional again when Alexandra notices the huge bouquet they’ve bought just for her. She talks briefly with Natasha - the video conference was on during the whole performance so even though Nat couldn’t be here in person, she could still watch the whole thing. Natasha apologises for not being there but promises to make it to the next recital that is supposed to happen around New Year’s Eve and she points out how proud she is every two words.

Bucky lets everybody congratulate his little girl and shower her with the love she deserves. He’ll have plenty of time to do that at home. So he takes a step back and stands next to Steve.

Steve, who waits politely, probably not wanting to interrupt as he just watches it all with a smile on his face. But when Alex’s eyes finally land on him, matching big smiles bloom on both of their faces.

“Steve! You came!” Alex exclaims, bouncing closer to where Steve and Bucky are standing.

“Of course I did,” Steve says and he crouches to be on Alex’s eye level. “You were incredible! Thank you so much for inviting me, it was so worth it. And I have a little gift for you.”

Hearing that, Alex starts bouncing on the balls of her feet in excitement and she watches as Steve retrieves the drawing. The moment her eyes land on it, she lets out a small gasp. Just like Bucky did before, she moves her hand as if she wants to touch it but stops, afraid to ruin it. When she looks up at Steve, her eyes seem a little watery.

“It’s for me?” she asks and when Steve nods, she carefully takes it from his hands. “I love it! Thank you so much, Steve!”

With that, she wraps her small arms around Steve’s neck. The movement catches Steve off guard, almost enough to make him lose his balance and Bucky laughs at the surprised look Steve sends him.

“You’re so welcome, Alexandra,” Steve says eventually, rubbing her back. “I’m happy you like it. Thank you again for inviting me.”

“Papa, look!” Alex yells, moving away from Steve and proudly showing Bucky the drawing. “It’s me!”

“It is!” Bucky agrees, hugging her close one more time. “It's my wonderful little ballerina!"

***

After the performance, they all decide to go to a restaurant for a celebratory dinner. Steve tries to flee but both Clint and Hope — which comes out as a bit of surprise to Bucky — nag him to join them. He sends a look at Bucky, probably hoping Bucky's gonna back him up.

He doesn't. Instead, both he and Alex send Steve their best puppy dog eyes saying that they'll love if Steve came along. Steve is not able to resist such power.

Bucky's not sure why he insists so hard on Steve coming with them, not really knowing what to expect. It turns out he had nothing to worry about. Steve fits right in with their little group. The evening is very nice and they all feel comfortable in each other's company. Bucky's a bit afraid at the beginning, when Clint starts asking some pretty nosy questions and is being his horrible self. Everyone except Steve has gotten used to it and they know that Clint is the best friend one can have but for some reason, he sometimes hides it quite well. But Steve doesn’t seem to be judging or getting annoyed in any way. Quite the opposite. It also turns out that under all of Steve’s gold-heartedness hides a little asshole with witty comebacks and good-natured jabs at whoever tries to mess with him. He can totally keep up with whatever Clint’s up to at any given moment.

It's enough to say that Clint absolutely loves it.

They don’t stay at the restaurant for too long. They can’t since Alex is tired after all of today’s excitement. She tries very hard to hide it, though. Fortunately for her, Bucky knows her better and he saves her from crossing the line between happy and miserably exhausted. No matter how nice the evening is going so far, they should go. So for the sake of Alex’s pride, Bucky says he’s getting tired and the two of them are probably going to head home. It's not even a lie. Considering he's only 29 and it's not even 10 p.m. it's kind of sad that he really does feel a bit sleepy. Alex tries to protest but it’s weak, which only proves Bucky’s assessment of her energy levels was correct. Of course, everyone else jumps to their feet almost immediately. They exchange hugs and thank-you’s and more congratulations for Alexandra and finally some goodbye’s as they all go in different directions. 

The short walk home wakes Alex up a bit. And because it's still her big night, Bucky lets her stay up for a little longer than usually when they finally get home. They cuddle on the couch and watch _How To Train Your Dragon_ together, while sharing a bowl of ice cream. Of course, their private little celebrations can’t start until the drawing from Steve is safely put away in Alex's room with promises that Bucky will hang it tomorrow.

About halfway through the movie Alex drifts off to sleep, curled safely on Bucky's lap. He takes a few extra minutes stroking her hair, trying not to think too much about how big she's getting or that soon she won't be so happy about cuddling with her papa anymore. Eventually, Bucky picks her up gently and carries her to her room. He finishes the movie and gets himself an extra scoop of ice cream before he heads to bed.

The next morning Alex almost drags him out of bed, rushes him through breakfast and almost pushes him out of the door. All that because he promised they're gonna shop for things they need to put the portrait from Steve on the wall. Bucky is not even mad. It is a gorgeous piece of art and he's really happy that Alex is so thrilled with it.

A few hours, some drilling and vacuuming tons of dust later, he snaps a picture of the drawing hanging proudly on the wall above the chest of drawers in Alex's bed. He attaches it to a message.

> **To: Steve**
> 
> Guess who got bullied into an IKEA trip at 10 in the morning on a Saturday just to buy a frame?  
>  _Saturday, 12:30 A.M._

> **From: Steve**
> 
> Sorry? :)  
>  _Saturday, 12:31 A.M._

> **From: Steve**
> 
> I'm honoured she likes it so much, though.  
>  _Saturday, 12:32 A.M._

> **To: Steve**
> 
> I bet you're not sorry at all, you jump out of buildings for fun, you can't be trusted.  
>  _Saturday, 12:37 A.M._

> **From: Steve**
> 
> I did NOT jump out of a building, stop saying that! And what happened to "you're amazing, Steve"?  
>  _Saturday, 12:40 A.M._

> **To: Steve**
> 
> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
>  _Saturday, 12:41 A.M._

***

After all the emotions from yesterday, Saturday passes in a nice yet uneventful way. Alex falls asleep on her feet at barely half past seven, but it’s no surprise that the tiredness has finally caught up to her. She doesn’t even try to argue when Bucky suggests she should head to bed earlier. After tucking her in, he lays down on the couch for a second, promising himself that he’ll do the dishes before heading to bed. Suddenly, it’s past 10 P.M. and he’s mindlessly watching some late-night reruns of _Say Yes to The Dress._ He’s not even surprised at this turn of events.

The noise his phone makes blasts in the quiet of the living room, making Bucky jump. He’s in such a rush to turn off the ringing that he drops the phone on his face, accidentally answering the incoming video call.

“Hi, dimwit. Did you just drop your phone on your face again?” He hears Natasha’s amused voice.

“I’ve never dropped a phone on my face in my life, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Bucky answers as he rubs his aching nose that has taken most of the impact.

Natasha only rolls her eyes at that. “My girl already asleep?”

“Yeah, went to bed before 8 p.m. and i bet she’ll sleep in tomorrow. She was positively exhausted today.”

“I’m not even surprised. She deserves some rest though, she was so brilliant last night,” Natasha says with a sad smile. “I hate that I couldn’t be there.”

“Don’t do this to yourself, Tasha. She understands,” Bucky tries to convince her. “Besides you’re gonna be here for Christmas, right?”

Natasha is not reassured. She thinks she hides it well enough for Bucky not to notice, but he’s known her for too long. She sighs but then answers with a small smile. “Yeah, I will be home for most of December. I’ll need to go to Cali for a bit, as always, but I should be back for Christmas.”

“That’s great,” Bucky smiles. “We miss you here and you’ll be just in time to see Alex in the Nutcracker, you know that one’s even more important to her.”

“Can’t wait. She’s gonna outmatch me sooner than I’ve expected.”

“She will and I don’t even feel sorry for you. She’s just so incredible. Like with your skills and my brains and also my good looks she’s destined for great things. I feel kind of bad for other kids,” Bucky chuckles but he only half-jokes.

In response he gets a raised eyebrow from Natasha. “I think you’ve meant my skills, my brains and my good looks and your—,” she waves her hand towards him dismissively. “I mean, I’m sure there’s something, we’ll figure it out at some point. Maybe it’s your love for _Say Yes to the Dress_ , who knows.

“I’m—,” Bucky tries to defend himself but the grin on Natasha’s face tells him it’s a lost fight. He didn’t expect Natasha to recognise the background noise of his TV but then — it’s Natasha, so he should have. “You’re so full of shit, Romanoff.”

“I’m not. You are though,” Natasha says and when Bucky sends her a questioning look, she explains with a cheeky smirk. “I can’t believe you haven’t told me you’ve found yourself a new, smoking hot friend!”

“You know what, I don’t have to put up with this, I’m gonna go to bed,” Bucky sighs, but he makes no move to actually hang up.

Natasha only laughs triumphantly. “Oh my, why are you so defensive all of sudden? I didn’t say anything bad, did I?”

“You’re something bad in general, so I’m always prepared. Why are you all so obsessed with Steve? I have to put up with Clint already, so please, leave me alone.”

“We just care about you! And since you’ve been stuck with just us for ages, we’re excited there’s someone new, kind and handsome in your life!” the grin on her face makes Bucky groan out loud. “He seems nice and I hope you’ll be able to get to know him better. In a lot of ways.”

“See? This is exactly what I meant. I can’t believe I’ve been friends with you for so long.”

Another laugh escapes her mouth but her eyes soften when she looks back at him a moment later. “Really, though. You can’t be alone your whole life. And don’t bullshit me saying that you have Alex, you know that’s not my point. You’re just a huge softie who needs someone to make heart eyes at, it’s basically in your blood.”

Bucky chuckles in disbelief, not sure how this conversation got to this point. “What are you even talking about? I’ve known Steve for way too little for you to say all this. I’ve seen him in person twice. Twice, Natasha.”

“I’m not saying it has to be Steve, I know you’ve just met him. It was just a side note, completely unrelated to Steve. If anyone’s making a connection here, it’s you. So maybe you should think about that.” Natasha looks at him pointedly and when Bucky tries to chime in, she doesn’t let him. “Also on a completely unrelated note, Steve seems like a good guy, if you think about dating. And if you think about casual, he’s also smoking hot.”

“You’ve already mentioned that,” Bucky points out. “And you’ve only seen him via video chat.”

“Well, he is and it was clear even through Clint’s shitty camera.”

It’s hard to disagree with that. Even though Natasha is insane and he is not going to date anyone in the near future, let alone Steve whom he barely knows. He can objectively agree that Steve is unfairly attractive, though.

“Before you go all defensive and mean again — I just want you to be happy, James,” Natasha says. “And maybe having around someone who’s not Clint would be good for you.”

Bucky shakes his head with a chuckle. “You might have a point. But dating is not really on my priority list and I don’t think it’s a good time to change that now.”

“Ugh, whatever,” Natasha groans. “I really hope it won’t turn out that our daughter actually inherited your brains, because you’re an idiot.” She takes a deep sigh and changes the topic. “But let’s get to the important things now — is it just me or the dresses he shows this Caroline chick are getting uglier and uglier?”

“I know, right? I don’t think I can handle another one to be honest.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I _almost_ didn't manage to finish it. I've been struggling a lot with this chapter and I'm still not a fan of it, I feel like nothing important happens here but I know myself enough that if I tried to wait and try to fix it, I'll just get more and more frustrated and maybe never post anything anymore fjakjda So I hope it's just my bias and it's not actually that bad. I hope you'll enjoy it ♥ I'm once again super grateful for all the love and support and kind words, you are everything and I love you all so, so much :')

This week didn’t start well.

Yesterday Alex had a fight with her best friend and this morning she threw a tantrum about having to go to school. From Alex's chaotic explanations, Bucky was able to deduce that the argument started with the other girl — Maya — breaking one of Alex’s favourite pens or something like that. It shouldn’t be that much of a tragedy, although Bucky knew that 7-year-olds had their own hierarchy of needs. But unfortunately, the argument didn’t end there. For some reason after breaking the thing Maya tried to defend herself with the best artillery known to kids — by making fun of Alex. Hurtful things have been said, one of them being that Alexandra was from “a broken family and only lived with her dad”. When Alex came back home on Monday, she had been crying for almost an hour before Bucky managed to calm her down enough to understand what happened. Alex wasn’t even upset about this stupid pen or whatever that was in the first place. She was mad that someone said bad things about her family. Bucky’s heart swelled with pride, hearing that Alex fiercely defended him and Natasha. She was hurt, hearing her friend say all those awful things. But by the time Tuesday rolled, Alex was more pissed off than sad. Bucky hoped it wouldn't escalate into something worse.

What made Bucky mad the most was the fact that there was no way Maya would come up with all those things by herself. And he knew exactly where it came from. He had the doubtful pleasure of meeting the girl’s parents on a few occasions. They were huge assholes, to say the least. It was clear as day that they thought less of Bucky, judging his life by their own idea of how it looked like. It was a miracle they let Maya be friends with a daughter of someone like _ him _ . Bucky knew better than to care about the opinions of such people. He knew better than to let anything that has been said about him or his life or his family get to him. And yet, that Monday he stared at his bedroom ceiling for a long time after Alex went to sleep, wondering if he didn’t mess up his daughter’s life somehow.

As much as he wished for Alex to find a friend with non-asshole parents, the girls liked each other so he had to go through every encounter with Mr. & Mrs. Peters for the girls' sake. At least until Monday. He knew he should have a talk with them and just thinking about it made him angry. They’d be probably proud of Maya and relieved that now they will be able to find a more suitable friend for her. That’s how big monsters they were. Or at least that’s how Bucky saw them. 

It wasn’t even the end of his troubles. Monday was also the day when someone at work managed to wipe clean two hard-drives with tons and tons of data that he had to painstakingly restore now. And since he works at the Institute for Space Studies, all the data is rather crucial to conduct the research the Institute was founded to conduct. So — of course — everyone is very mad. Unsurprisingly, everyone tends to blame the poor IT guy when the problem is in any way computer-related. How long can restoring millions of files take, anyway?

It’s definitely not the best week of Bucky’s life.

And it’s only Tuesday.

Because of this crisis, he has to stay at work for longer than usual. Which means that he can’t pick Alex up and Bucky has to ask Clint to do that. On one hand he feels bad for not being able to be there for her when she’s having a bad time but on the other he feels like maybe some crazy shenanigans with Clint will be able to take her mind of her troubles. Still, when he finally leaves his office at 6:15 P.M. he is determined to make it home as soon as possible.

He barely leaves the building when someone crushes into him on the busy sidewalk. He grinds his teeth together to stop a curse that desperately wants to leave his mouth. Not even bothering to look up, he tries to walk past the guy.

“Bucky?”

Surprised — but still kind of pissed off — Bucky looks up. His eyebrows shoot up when he realises who he bumped into. From all the people, he didn’t expect to just casually run into Steve.

“Is New York really that small after all?” Steve jokes, smiling brightly.

Bucky reciprocates the gesture and he hopes it seems genuine. It is nice to see Steve again. It would be even nicer if Bucky wasn’t having what aspired to be the worst week of his life. 

“Hi, Steve. Fancy meeting you here,” Bucky greets.

“Yeah, I’ve just finished a meeting, I work nearby. You?”

Bucky only points at the building next to which they’re still standing. Following the gesture with his gaze, Steve reads the glowing letters above the entrance that say “NASA Institute of Space Studies”. Steve’s eyes are wide and he seems impressed when he looks back to Bucky.

“You work here?” he asks and Bucky nods with a self-deprecating shrug. “So you weren’t lying about being a scientist, huh?”

“You doubted me, jerk?” Bucky raises an eyebrow.

Before he realises that maybe he should take back the insult, since he and Steve didn’t know each other that well and the man could get offended, Steve throws his head back and laughs.

“I’d never,” Steve tries to look solemn but the grin on his face kind of ruins the impression. After a moment he adds, “You know what, I was about to go grab a coffee. Maybe you want to join me?”

Bucky starts shaking his head before Steve even manages to finish the sentence. “No, Steve. I’m sorry but that’s not a good idea.”

Steve’s face falls for a split second and his shoulder sag but he quickly collects himself. “Of course, I understand. Just a thought, don’t worry about it.”

Glancing at his watch, Bucky curses under his breath and sends an apologetic smile to Steve. “It was great bumping into you but I really gotta run. Bye, Steve.”

“Bye, Buck. Have a nice day,” Steve says, the corners of his mouth lifting in a resemblance of a smile. He gives Bucky a little wave before Bucky turns away and rushes towards the metro station.

It's past 7 P.M. when he finally makes it home. He finds Alex and Clint sprawled on the couch together, watching some cartoon that Bucky only vaguely recognises. However, they both seem to be very invested in the plot. There are dirty plates with some leftover pasta on the table. Bucky is eternally grateful that Clint took care of cooking something to eat, because Bucky is not really in the mood for anything, let alone making dinner.

He walks over to the couch and leans over the back to drop a kiss to the top of Alex's head. She wraps an arm around his neck, tugging him closer. It feels more like strangling, considering the position he's in, but it's nice nonetheless. When he looks up, he notices Clint's eyes on him and the exaggerated pout on his friend’s face. Bucky rolls his eyes and kisses Clint's head, too. Content, his friend looks back towards the TV.

"What's up, guys?" Bucky asks as he plops down on the couch by Alexandra's side. "All good?"

"Yeah. I spilled tomato sauce all over my shirt and pants when I was helping uncle Clint with dinner!" Alex says with a proud smile.

"That's… I'm not sure how that's good but I'm happy you've helped."

After a moment of hesitation and a silent question he sends to Clint over Alex's head, Bucky decides to ask, "And how was school, sweetheart?"

Alexandra shrugs but she doesn't seem very upset. Bucky thinks it’s a good sign.

"It was OK. I sat with Adrian today and Maya got mad at me but he told her to go away," Alex says. "It's fine, though. I like Maya but I don't want to be friends with someone who's so rude and talks badly about you or mama."

Bucky gets a bit teary-eyed hearing that. He pulls his daughter closer for a hug and kisses the top of her head. It was always clear to him that she's smart and amazing beyond her age but it's nice to be reminded of it so often.

"I'm very proud of you, sweetheart," he says. "And I bet you'll find a friend who's nice and fun to be around. Or maybe you and Maya can still work it out, if that’s what you want. Whatever makes you happy, little munchkin." Bucky tickles her side and she giggles and hides her face in Bucky’s stomach. "I love you, you know that, right?"

"I love you too, papa," she answers, pressing a loud kiss to his cheek. After a second she jumps onto her feet and gasps. "Oh, I forgot! I've got a bad grade on my spelling test, I gotta show you!"

"Why do you sound so happy about it if it's a bad grade?" Bucky asks but she's already run off to her room.

"I've never gotten a bad grade before, it's my first one!"

"You've talked to Mr. and Mrs. Bitch?" Clint asks when Alex is out of earshot.

Bucky sighs. "No. I didn't have time today and besides I really, really don't want to. Maybe I'll just send them an email?” Bucky thinks aloud. “There was an address on the business card Mr. Bitch gave me."

"An email?" Clint raises an eyebrow. "How mature of you."

"It's gonna be a very strongly-worded, yet polite email and I will try my best to be as passive aggressive as I can. I think it's a perfect way of communicating with someone who gives people a business card when arranging a playdate for kids," Bucky says.

"Good point." Clint gets off the couch with an exaggerated groan. "There's still some pasta left in the kitchen if you want some. I'm not gonna bring it to you though, because I’m heading home and also, I hate you."

"Thanks, Clint," Bucky smiles and he doesn't even try to sound sarcastic. "Really. We would die without you, both me and Alex."

Clint rolls his eyes and looks away. "Come on, man. You know I do all this solely for Alex. It's a pity I have to put up with you just so I can hang out with her."

Bucky laughs, knowing full well that it's all bullshit. He's only proven right when instead of heading towards the door, Clint goes to the kitchen. Bucky hears banging of cabinets and clinking of plates meaning that, despite his earlier words, Clint went to reheat some food for Bucky without even being asked to. There are many things that could be said about Clint and he himself hates talking about feelings, but it's very easy to notice when he cares about someone. And Bucky has been lucky enough to be one of those people for a few good years now.

Sometime later, when Clint is gone and Alex is already asleep, Bucky tries to find that email address to Maya's dad. When he scrolls though his contact list, Steve's name catches his eye. Bucky remembers the brief talk they've had in front of his office building. Only now, when some of his stress and anxiety has calmed down and he's well fed and content, he realises how big of an asshole he was. Steve was trying to be nice and Bucky just ran without an explanation. He hesitates for a moment before clicking at the contact. He types out a message.

> **To: Steve**
> 
> Hi, Steve. I want to apologise for today? I’ve only now realised that I probably came out as rude with my running away like that. I just wanted to say it's not your fault and I'm just having a bit of a stressful week. I guess you've stumbled upon the bad version of me, I'm usually way more charming than that!   
>  _ Tuesday, 8:30 P.M. _

> **From: Steve**
> 
> I've noticed ;) And don't worry about that! You have your responsibilities and work and Alexandra, I figured you were busy and didn't want to waste time with me. Sorry about the stressful week, hope it'll get better soon.   
>  _ Tuesday, 8:33 P.M. _

> **To: Steve**
> 
> I'd like to get that coffee and waste some time with you! The sad part is that I really don't have any to waste atm. I'll let you know when/if that changes - how about that? And thanks, I hope so too. My brain has been in overload for two days but I dare to hope it's starting to look up.   
>  _ Tuesday, 8:39 P.M. _

> **From: Steve**
> 
> Glad to hear that! And that sounds great, let me know when you're free. It looks like you need (and deserve) a coffee break soon!   
>  _ Tuesday, 8:40 P.M. _

***

Luckily, by the end of the week Bucky's life gets a bit less hectic. It turns out that one of the hard drives is in a better state than he initially thought and some of the data is still intact. As for Alexandra, she  _ does  _ get her apologies from Maya — Bucky is more than certain it's thanks to Natasha. When she found out about the argument, she took it upon herself to call Mrs. & Mr. Assholes, both to save Bucky from the awful responsibility and because she liked to “hear them struggle to find comebacks to her not-so-passive aggressiveness” as she has put it. But even though Maya apologised, Alexandra didn’t seem to want to rebuild that friendship. Instead, she's been hanging around with that Adrian guy and his twin sister, Lily. From what Bucky's heard, they are getting along quite well so far. He is only vaguely aware of who those kids are but Alex is happy so that’s the most important thing.

All this feels like a weight being taken off his shoulders and Bucky can’t be happier. That's probably why he suggests that, if Steve's still up, they could go grab that coffee on Tuesday. Steve gladly agrees.

Obviously, it has nothing to do with Natasha's nagging. Or just a bit. Bucky just figures that maybe she was right that being around people who aren’t Clint, Scott or the rest of his work acquaintances can’t hurt. Besides, Steve is great and Bucky enjoys talking to him.

Unfortunately, as soon as Tuesday approaches, Bucky is forced to forget about any plans for the afternoon. In between running some routine diagnostics and answering work emails, he picks up his phone and dials Steve's number. He doesn't have to wait long, before he hears Steve's voice.

"Hi, Bucky! What's up?" he asks, a smile audible in his voice.

"Hi, Steve. I'm not interrupting, I hope?"

"Not at all, don't worry."

"Great. I'm actually calling with bad news — Alex's ballet teacher is sick so her practise is cancelled. I'll have to pick her up sooner today. Which means I won't be able to go for that coffee with you. Sorry about that. I would ask Clint but—"

Before he has a chance to finish, Steve interrupts him. "Oh no, I completely understand! It's not important enough for you to rearrange your and Clint's entire day, don't worry about me."

"Thanks for being so understanding," Bucky smiles. "It's still a bummer, though."

"It is," Steve agrees. "I was looking forward to seeing you, but we can just reschedule for some other time, if you want."

"It would be great. Or you know what? I wonder if you'd mind—," Bucky starts but hesitates for a moment.

Steve makes a small encouraging sound, waiting for Bucky to continue.

"I'm pretty sure Alexandra is going to be bummed about the cancelled class so I thought about taking her to this pancake place she likes," Bucky explains. "So maybe you'd like to join? Not everyone likes to hang around with 7-year-old girls but Alex and I are kind of a package deal. But it's completely fine if you don't want to, that wasn't the plan after all. I just figured I'd ask? They do have coffee at the pancake place."

"Oh." Steve sounds surprised. Bucky is about to take it all back but Steve is quicker. "No, I don't mind at all. You both are great to hang around with," Steve laughs. "I don't want to disturb your afternoon, though?"

"You won't. Quite the opposite," Bucky says. "So I'll send you an address and you can join us whenever you're free? I'll be picking her up at 3:15 P.M. so we should be there around half-past?"

"Great. See you in a few hours, then," Steve says and hangs up after Bucky says goodbye.

As expected, Alexandra's mood flops when Bucky picks her up and explains that there's no dance class today. She starts complaining that they have so much to practice before their Christmas performance. A pout is on her face the entire time. She's so bummed, she doesn't even notice that they aren't taking their usual way home. Only when Bucky stops in the middle of the pavement, she looks up at him in confusion. When he points with his chin at the building in front of them, Alexandra's eyes skip that way. Her lips stretch in a smile.

"Are we getting pancakes?" she asks, looking at Bucky with huge eyes.

If it wasn't his plan from the start, Bucky would have the hardest time saying no to her. He's glad he doesn't have to.

"We are, munchkin. I figured you'll need some cheering up."

"You're the best, papa." Alex wraps her arms around Bucky's middle. After a short hug she yells "Pancakes!" and skips towards the door.

"Someone seems excited for lunch," Bucky hears from his left.

When he turns that way, he notices Steve. He is dressed in a long, beige coat with a scarf dangling loosely around his neck, serving absolutely no purpose. A navy sweater peeks from under the coat and there are beginnings of a stubble across his cheeks and jaw. He looks very handsome.

"Hello, Steve!" Alexandra greets, taking a hold of the door handle and wrestling with the heavy door. "We're getting pancakes! Are you getting pancakes, too?"

"I don't know, can I join you?" Steve asks her. Bucky is pretty sure he’d actually go if Alex said no. She doesn't, instead nods vigorously as she still tries to open the door. Shaking his head with a smile, Bucky steps closer and does it for her.

"Let's go then, " he says, holding the door open for both his daughter and Steve. He gets a warm smile in thanks as Steve passes him.

Alex walks first, leading the three of them to the table in the far corner by the window. It's become a regular spot for her and Bucky, whenever they come here. Bucky helps her take off her jacket and places it on the free chair along with his own coat. Steve's one joins the pile before he sits across from Bucky. Alexandra sits on her usual spot on the wide, cushioned windowsill.

"How was school today, love?" Bucky asks, a few minutes later after they've ordered their food.

Alex shrugs with one shoulder, too busy with folding a napkin into a plane. "It was OK. I’ve gotten the highest score on the maths test.”

“That’s great!”

“So you’re not only a ballerina but also a maths genius?” Steve lets out a little gasp and Bucky can’t help but laugh at him. Especially, since he takes a napkin of his own and starts folding it into something that turns into a swan. Alex's eyes widen in delight when he offers it to her. “That’s so impressive. I always was horrible at maths. Or dancing for that matter.”

Alexandra laughs at him but looks pleased with the compliment. 

“You’re so good at drawing, though! I’m not that good at it. And papa is so awful at drawing.” Alex says and she has the audacity to laugh at Bucky’s offended face.

“Thank you," Steve smiles. "You guys are such a talented family, though. You're a dancer and a maths genius, your mom is a prima ballerina and your dad works at NASA."

With Steve's eyes on him, Bucky feels a blush creeping up his neck for some reason. He lets out a small laugh.

"Oh no, that's— I mean, I'm just a technician. An IT guy in a research institute, I just make sure all the equipment works properly for the smart people," Bucky explains.

Steve raises an eyebrow at him, looking like he doesn't buy that. In response, Bucky only shrugs, not sure what else he could say since it was all true.

"Papa knows so much about space, though. When we went to the mountains once and papa had this big telescope and he showed me some planets and other cool stuff! He's really smart."

"Thanks, sweetheart," Bucky smiles, nudging Alex's knee with his own. His blush goes deeper when Steve grins at him.

"That's what I thought. He's just really modest, isn't he?" Steve asks and Alex nods.

Bucky is saved from responding when the waiter appears and has a moment to will his blush to go away. 

Accepting compliments has always been a struggle for him. Natasha usually just smacks him across the head when he tries to brush it off. It's a very effective method. Bucky prefers it to all the smiles Steve sends him that make him blush like a schoolgirl. Which is not an accurate comparison, considering that Alex never blushes at compliments but basks in their glory like a cat in the sun. There are so many things he could learn from his daughter.

With a delighted little shriek Alex digs into her pile of banana & chocolate pancakes. Bucky laughs at her, helping to roll her sleeves so they won't be covered in the sticky sauce. He's about to take a bite of his raspberry & white chocolate deliciousness when he notices that Steve is meticulously picking blueberries from his plate. Since it's not his business, Bucky doesn't even plan to comment on it but Steve catches his eye and smiles, a bit sheepishly.

"I used to be super allergic to blueberries," he explains. "I'm not anymore but… Still not a big fan, it might be the trauma."

Bucky chuckles at that. "You could've asked for a blueberry-less version, then."

Steve shrugs, adding another fruit to the little pile on the side of his plate. "I'm a-OK with the rest and picking a few berries is not the end of the world. Didn't want to be a bother."

For a moment Bucky just stares at him, slightly astonished. For who knows which time he is surprised by the kind and ridiculously considerate man that sits across from him.

"What?" Steve asks, raising an eyebrow as if in challenge.

"Nothing," Bucky says, shaking his head with a smile. "You really are something, Steve."

Trying to stop himself from saying something stupid Bucky reaches with his fork across the table and jabs at one of Steve's blueberries. Steve looks up at him and when Bucky offers the fruit to him, Steve just shakes his head with a laugh. "No, please, help yourself. You can have all of it if you want."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also side note - I know nothing about IT or like... anything, but I just _really_ wanted Bucky to work at a place somehow NASA related. Self-indulgent much djaska


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays, everyone! The chapter is a bit late but truth to be told, I wasn't sure if there will be one this week. I didn't have much time to write during Christmas and when I finally managed to rig up something long enough, I felt the urge to add a Christmas-y scene. So here we are with probably the longest (and messiest, I'm so sorry. I did my best editing it) chapter so far. I hope you'll like it ♥
> 
> In case I won't be able to post a chapter next week - I'm going on a short trip with my friends on New Year's Eve so I might have even less time that I've had on christmas — I wish you all a happiest New Year ♥ You are amazing and I'll forever be grateful for every single one of you who've stick around with me and this story, it means everything to me :') May the 2021 be kind and wonderful for all of you ♥
> 
> And as always - feel free to say hi on **[tumblr ♥](http://captainjanegay.tumblr.com/)**

October passes quickly and rather uneventfully and so does November. Alexandra is studying as hard as she needs to in second grade — which is not much, since she's a smart kid. Bucky is working as hard as he needs to at the Institute — which is pretty much, since there's always some software to upgrade or bugs to fix and the scientists can be very needy. In the meantime, they practice for the Christmas Nutcracker performance — in Alex's case, or plan the small Thanksgiving dinner for them and Clint — in Bucky's case. From time to time, they also hang out with Steve.

Since that afternoon when they've had pancakes together, they've met with Steve a couple more times. It’s usually to grab lunch together or get a coffee somewhere in town. One afternoon, they went to the cinema since  _ Frozen II _ was out and both Alex and Steve were dying to see it. More often than not it's the three of them. Bucky and Steve were able to go for a coffee by themselves maybe once or twice but Steve doesn't seem to mind at all. From what Bucky can tell, he really likes Alexandra — and she absolutely adores him, too — and doesn't mind spending time with both Bucky and his daughter. Seeing how well they get along warms Bucky’s heart. 

What doesn’t warm Bucky’s heart is the constant teasing and stupid comments he receives from both Natasha and Clint. The latter has become totally insufferable since that one time he tagged along to the pizza place with Bucky, Alex and Steve. Maybe Bucky should be thankful that his friends care and worry for him. But there’s no need to worry. Besides, there’s a thin line between care and being an idiot who gets overly-invested in Bucky’s love-life. Clint and Nat are miles behind the line. 

Bucky is dozing off on the couch while Alex is sitting cross-legged by the table, scribbling something. It’s probably dinosaurs. Since the last time Steve has shown her some easy ways to draw them, she’s been doing this for a week. Bucky has to admit that they're really cute. 

Unfortunately, the peace and quiet of the late Saturday afternoon doesn’t last. Bucky’s phone starts ringing somewhere under the couch, making him groan quietly as he tries to retrieve it. His brows go up in surprise as he sees the caller’s ID but he smiles and accepts the call.

“Hi, Steve. What’s up?”

“Hi, Bucky. I’m so sorry to bother you but it’s kind of an emergency?” Steve says and he does sound a bit panicked.

Worried, Bucky sits up. “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, it’s not that kind of emergency, don’t worry. But I was working on an illustration I have to finish and send by Monday and something happened to my laptop, and I swear it wasn't my fault but some kind of error info popped up and now I'm too terrified to touch it. I don't know what happened and I've probably lost all progress," Steve explains and he sounds miserable and a bit hysterical. "But you're, like, super smart and good with computers, aren't you? Do you think you could take a look at it today? I'm so sorry to bother you on your day off but maybe I'll be able to do it all again before Monday if you'd help me. Of course, I’d pay you."

Bucky glances at Alex out of the corner of his eye and answers. "Yeah, of course I'd help. And you don’t have to pay me, don’t be stupid. If you give me your address I can come by and take a look."

"Really?" The relief in Steve's voice is so big as if Bucky has already fixed everything. "You're a lifesaver, Buck. I didn’t want to bother you but I didn’t know who else to call and the alternative was to just sit and cry.”

“Well, you’re not interrupting anything and I’m glad you’ve called. I hope I’ll be able to help. Text me that address and I should be there soon, yeah?”

After a dozen more thank you’s Steve hangs up and soon enough Bucky gets a message with Steve’s home address — and a few more thank you’s. Steve's place is close enough so Bucky lets him know he should be there in less than half an hour.

“Sweetheart,” Bucky says, getting Alex's attention as he gets up from the couch, “how do you feel about going on a mission to save Steve’s laptop?”

Of course, Alex is delighted with the idea. They get bundled up to face the chilly, end-of-November evening and after twenty minutes or so, they are knocking on Steve’s door. After just a few seconds the man in question swings the door open, looking a bit wild but relieved when he sees Bucky. His eyes skip to Alex and his face falls a bit.

“Fu-dge, Bucky, I’m so sorry! I should’ve figured that you’d have to drag Alex all this way. I really didn’t want to inconvenience you. I’d come to you instead but my brain kind of short-circuited on the fact that I broke my computer just before the deadline. I'm so sorry.”

“No worries,” Bucky says with a smile. “I’d tell you if it was a problem. Besides, does she look miserable?”

Bucky points with his chin at Alexandra who is bouncing on the balls of her feet with excitement and grins widely. The sight is able to cheer Steve up and he actually reciprocates Alex’s smile.

“Well, I’m happy you guys are here to save the day. Come on in,” he says, stepping to the side and gesturing at them to enter.

Steve helps Alex untangle her scarf and takes her and Bucky's coats before he leads them further into the flat. The living room they walk into is bright and cosy, with an open kitchen space on the right. On the left there's a slightly battered couch that looks very comfortable, with a knitted blanket thrown haphazardly over its back. Next to it there are two bookcases filled to the brim and a big desktop in the corner by the window. There is also an easel by the paint-splattered wall so either Steve's a very expressive painter or a clumsy one.

"So, here's the laptop I definitely didn't break," Steve says pointing towards the desk. "I didn't do anything weird or unusual and it just did that."

Bucky takes a quick look at the screen and sees a familiar error message. "It's a BIOS error, it's probably nothing serious."

"I have no idea what that is but I'm glad to hear it's not serious," Steve says.

"It's like… A connection between the software and the hardware. It makes sure that everything is connected properly so to speak," Bucky explains as he sits at the desk and reboots the laptop. "I'll see what's the problem and then see if there are any temporary files with your work. I'll restore them if possible."

When Steve looks at him it's with so much warm sincerity that Bucky has to look away to hide his blush. "Thank you so much, Bucky. I don't know what I'd do without you."

"I haven't done anything yet," Bucky chuckles, his cheeks warm as he focuses on the laptop in front of him.

"Well, my faith in you is big enough to thank you already," Steve laughs.

Bucky almost deletes the software from Steve's laptop by picking the wrong option in the BIOS menu. He's normally more competent, even when distracted.

"Steve, you have so many books! Have you read them all?" Alex says as she approaches them and tugs at Steve's arm.

He looks down at her and a smile immediately appears on his face.

"No, not all of them," he follows Alex towards the bookshelves. "A lot of those are books I've done illustrations for."

"That's so cool! Can I see?"

Of course, Steve agrees. So while Bucky works, the two of them go through Steve's bookshelf. It's good, since Bucky doesn't have anything to distract him and make him break Steve's laptop even more than it is. Although he can't help himself from sending glances their way every now and then or listening to whatever stories about each book Steve might have. It's probably why fixing the laptop takes him twice as long as it should.

"Okay, it's all up and running, there shouldn't be any more problems," he says. He's about to get up when something pops up on the desktop. Bucky really doesn't want to be nosy but it's just  _ right there.  _ So before he even realises that it's a private message and not some kind of system one, he reads it.

> **Pegs**  
>  Oh suck it up, Rogers and just ask him out for goodness sake.

Bucky panics, not sure if he should close the chat bubble or just leave it and pretend he didn't see it. Luckily, it goes away on its own after a second or two.

"Um. I also did the—," he starts again, clearing his throat. "I've restored all the temp files for that programme you've mentioned. I'm not sure how much of your progress was saved so you have to take a look at it."

When Steve comes over, Bucky opens the most recent file. It's a drawing of an otter in a newspaper hat and bright yellow overalls, walking through a park. It makes Bucky smile. It's not only adorable in a way most illustrations in children's books are but it's also beautifully done. Bucky is especially amazed by the colours — toned and kind of dimmed but soft and beautiful.

A relieved sigh escapes Steve's mouth after a moment.

"It's almost where I finished!" He says with a smile. "Oh god, I don't know how to thank you, Bucky, I could kiss you right now. You've saved me from doing it all over again!"

Steve laughs and Bucky does too, although a bit nervously. The small distance between him and Steve's big body, as the latter leans next to him to look at the screen, is not making it easier for Bucky to get a grip on himself. He's not even sure what or why is happening with him. Reacting like this to a friend's joke is just stupid, Bucky reminds himself.

"Glad I could help," Bucky says after a moment and smiles, turning his head to look at Steve.

Objectively speaking, Bucky must admit that up close his friend is even more handsome.

"Is there any way you'll let me repay you?"

"Probably not," Bucky laughs. "Buy us dinner next time and we'll be even, how about that?"

"That I can do," Steve agrees.

"So… we'll leave you to it," Bucky says, getting up from the chair.

"Maybe you want to stay for a bit? I can make something to eat and we can watch a movie or something?" Steve offers, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't want it to seem like I'm kicking you out as soon as the job is done."

Bucky shakes his head and says, "I know, don't worry about it, Steve. We'd love to stay but it's pretty late and you've got work to do so it's probably not the best idea today."

"Do we have to go?" Alex pouts. "Can't I look through Steve's books for a bit longer?"

"We have to, munchkin. Maybe some other time if Steve would be okay with that?"

"Of course!" Steve says. "But you can borrow some of the books if you want."

The pout on Alexandra's face turns upside down immediately. She runs towards the bookshelf and takes two books — one looks a bit like a fairy-tale of sorts, with a little girl wielding a golden sword on the cover. The second one is some kind of an illustrated facts book.

"Can I borrow those, then?" she asks, showing Steve the books.

"Sure! I've actually read those ones and they're really good. Hope you'll like them."

Alex grins and gives the books to Bucky for safekeeping till they get home. Bucky leads his daughter to the hall, Steve tailing after them as he and Alex chatter about books.

"Really, guys. I'm so happy you came by and I hope you will visit again in less stressful circumstances so I can actually be a proper host. And Bucky I—," Steve says, but Bucky stops him before he can finish the sentence.

"If you're going to say 'thank you' again, I'm going to smack you."

The only response he gets is Steve's boisterous laugh as if Bucky has said the most hilarious thing ever. Which he did not but it's still nice to see Steve's reaction to his lame jokes.

"Okay, fine. We'll be in touch about that dinner, through," Steve points a finger at Bucky. 

As if having dinner with Steve is a kind of punishment and not one of the best ways to spend an afternoon. Bucky doesn't say it out loud, though. Instead, he focuses on making sure that Alex is all warm and bundled up before he opens the front door.

"See you, Steve. Good luck with your work," Bucky says with a smile and a little wave.

"Thanks, Buck. I'm not allowed to say you're a lifesaver, so I won't. And bye bye, Alex."

"No, wait!" Alexandra exclaims, stopping halfway through the threshold.

"What happened, sweetheart?" Bucky asks, looking down at his daughter and making sure that everything is okay.

With her mitten covered hand she points first at Bucky and then at Steve.

"Steve owes you a kiss for the help! He said it himself!"

Feeling his cheeks heat up, Bucky remembers the exact moment she refers to. He didn't expect her to pick up on it, though. He is about to explain to her that it's just a figure of speech and Steve didn't actually mean to kiss him but he doesn't get the chance.

Before Bucky can do anything, Steve smacks his forehead in an overly dramatic gesture. He takes a step closer and places a quick kiss on Bucky's cheek.

Caught off guard, Bucky's eyes widen in surprise and the place where Steve's lips touched his cheek feels like it's burning. When he looks up at Steve, his face is equally red and there's a sheepish smile on his face. His eyes stay on Bucky for just a split second before they skip to Alex.

"Thanks for the reminder, I guess we're good now, yeah?"

Alex seems a bit sceptical but she nods eventually.

"Um," Bucky starts but he doesn't know what to say next. "Yeah. Thanks. It's all good. Good luck again. Talk to you later, yeah?"

"Yeah. Bye, Buck. Bye, Alexandra. And I'm totally not thankful for the help."

Bucky shakes his head at him with a laugh before leading Alex down the stairs.

It certainly was a more eventful Saturday than Bucky expected it to be.

> ***

December rolls around soon enough and as this happens, Natasha comes back to New York. Bucky discovers that she's back when one day he and Alexandra come home just to find Natasha sprawled across the couch. She always says that she keeps a spare key to Bucky's flat but he's not sure he ever gave her one. She just has a special way of sneaking in anywhere she wants. After the initial shock has passed, there are a lot of greetings and hugs. As they are preparing dinner together that evening, Natasha shared some fun stories from her last tour and Alex fills her in on the latest school shenanigans. It's a very pleasant afternoon. At least until Alex goes to sleep and Bucky is left alone with Natasha.

"So," she starts sitting on the couch with a pleased smile. "I've heard you and Steve kissed?"

Bucky chokes on the sip of tea he was taking. It takes him a moment of painful spluttering before he is able to answer.

"What the hell, Tasha?"

"So is that a yes?" her smile only grows. "That's exactly the reaction I'd expect you to have if that happened."

"No, we didn't kiss. I've told you me and Steve are friends, why are you so obsessed with him? And who told you this?"

Natasha raises an eyebrow at him but she shrugs. "Alex. She said you went to help him with some kind of computer emergency."

"We did. But we didn't kiss. It was just—," despite his best efforts, a blush appears on Bucky's face. "I fixed Steve's computer. He thanked me a dozen times and he was happy he didn't lose any progress. He jokingly said he could kiss me in thanks. It was just a silly joke and Alex remembered it and pointed out Steve owed me a kiss when we were leaving. So he kissed my cheek. That's the whole story."

Natasha only hums in reply. The look on her face is unreadable and Bucky is afraid of whatever thoughts she might have right now.  She's quiet for a moment and Bucky tries not to blush more obviously at the sole memory of the little peck he's gotten. Maybe it  _ was _ too long since he has been with anyone if a tiny thing like this threw him off kilter.

"Can I ask you something?" Natasha asks after a moment. She gets a noncommittal sound in response so she continues. "I'm not asking to be mean or whatever you think I do, I'm just curious. Would you be totally opposed to kissing him?"

"Tasha, we've talked about it," Bucky sighs.

"No, you've just repeated the same bullshit I've been hearing for years. I'm just asking if kissing a Steve sounds so horrible."

Bucky rolls his eyes, "I don't think there's anyone who would find kissing a Steve horrible. I mean, have you _seen_ the guy?"

"Fair point," Natasha agrees with a wistful look on her face. "I guess doing other stuff with him can't be that bad either."

"I'm not going to sleep with him, Tasha."

The look she sends him is mock-scandalised. "That's not what I meant, James! I meant that going out for a drink or something with him would be nice! You have a dirty mind. But I bet your idea would be great, too."

"Oh god, you're the worst," Bucky groans. "For all we know he's straight."

There must be something in the way he hesitates while saying this, because Natasha sends him a questioning look. He sighs, knowing that she'll make it a bigger deal than it is. But since it's been circling his thoughts for a while now, he may as well tell her.

"When I was fixing his laptop, a message popped up. I didn't mean to read it, I wanted to make sure it's not an error or something," Bucky explains.

"And? You wouldn't have brought it up if it wasn't peculiar in any way."

"Well, it said like 'get your shit together and ask him out'. It did say 'him'."

"It doesn't sound 100% straight if you'd ask me."

That's the same thing Bucky thought when he first saw the message. It's good, hearing that he's the only one. He doesn't say anything more, just takes another sip of his lukewarm tea. Natasha also drops the topic but before she reaches for the TV remote, she sends Bucky a small and slightly mischievous smile. It's not a good sign but Bucky decides to ignore it.

The next Friday when Bucky comes home from work, his girls announce that they're going out. The two of them sans Bucky, that is. They have some very important, ballet-related things to do and Bucky would only get in the way, as Natasha kindly puts it. He doesn't mind, of course. If anything, he is really happy that the two of them can spend some well-deserved, quality time together. So he kisses them both goodbye and wishes them a nice day as they leave the house.

And as soon as they do, Bucky feels lost.

Truth to be told, he doesn't remember the last time he was on his own, without Alexandra. Of course, it happened a few times but it was usually when he had to work or run some errands and she stayed at Clint's or Scott's. Whenever that happened, Bucky was too busy to pay attention to the fact that she's not there. But now, he wanders aimlessly around the quiet house, not sure what to do with himself. 

Eventually, he plops down to the couch and pulls out his phone.

> **To: Clint**
> 
> What are u doing today? Wanna go for dinner or something?   
>  _ Friday, 3:40 P.M. _

> **From: Clint**
> 
> Sry, man, I can't. Have to work till late today. Y?   
>  _ Friday, 3:52 P.M. _

> **To: Clint**
> 
> Nothing, Tasha and Alex went out together and 'm bored.   
>  _ Friday, 3:52 P.M. _

> **From: Clint**
> 
> Aww, I get it. Can't help tho.   
>  _ Friday, 4:01 P.M. _

When Bucky texts Scott, he has plans with Hope so he can't save Bucky either. With a sigh, Bucky considers his other options. After a moment, he picks up his phone again.

"Hi, Buck!"

"Hi, Steve. I hope I'm not interrupting anything?" Bucky asks.

"Not really, no. What's up?"

Bucky hesitates for a moment. "Nothing. Natasha is back home. She and Alex went out to spend some time together. So, I'm home alone, which almost never happens."

"It must feel weird," Steve chuckles at him.

"It really does," Bucky agrees with a sigh but there's a smile on his face. "I've been wandering around the house for half an hour, having no idea what to do with myself."

"You know what? There's this Christmas Market in town and I wanted to go today, buy some gifts and all," Steve says. "Maybe you want to join me?"

"Oh. Yeah, why not. I'd like to, if you don't mind me tagging along?"

"Not at all! It'll be great if you come," Steve says, a smile audible in his voice.

Steve gives him the address and they agree to meet around 5:30 P.M. After Bucky hangs up, he gets up from the couch to get ready, a small smile on his face the whole time.

"Bucky, hi!"

Looking up, he notices Steve standing by the entrance, illuminated by the blue and white twinkling Christmas lights. He's smiling at Bucky broadly. Under the same beige coat that the last time, he has a dark green sweater with a reindeer on it. His scarf is not even once wrapped around his neck. At this point, Bucky is sure he wears it solely for aesthetics.

"Someone's in a festive mood already," Bucky says, smiling at Steve's sweater.

“Just two more weeks until Christmas, I think it’s about time,” Steve grins.

“Never said it wasn’t,” Bucky raises his hands in surrender. “It’s a very cute sweater.”

It’s getting dark already and the twinkling lights are not helping but Bucky thinks he sees traces of a blush on Steve’s cheeks.

"Shall we?" Steve asks, pointing with his thumb at the labyrinth of Christmas trees, booths full of various goodies, and food stands.

"Sure," Bucky agrees and he falls into step beside Steve.

The Christmas Market is predictably crowded so every now and then they bump into each other, navigating through the narrow paths. The first thing they do is buying a pack of peppermint candy canes to share as they look through whatever each vendor has to offer. They laugh together at some ridiculous Christmas ornaments they find and Bucky buys one shaped like a dinosaur with Santa's hat on its head, knowing that Alexandra is going to love it. A bit further they find a pretty hand-knitted scarf that Steve decides to buy for Sam. In the meantime, Bucky gets to hear some of Steve's college stories, because that's where he and Sam met. 

"I don't know what I find harder to believe — the fact that you were tiny in college or the fact that you've regularly picked up fights with guys twice your size," Bucky laughs, sizing Steve up with his eyes.

"Well, it's both are true. The only thing that's not, is that ridiculous idea you've had about jumping out of buildings on a dare. Never done that," Steve says.

Bucky narrows his eyes. "You know that the more you deny, the more suspicious it is, right?"

Steve only groans and rolls his eyes at Bucky. "I don't know why I've been banned from truth or dare, to be honest. Sam was the one that ran leaps around campus in just his boxer briefs in January. It was quite a sight."

"I can only imagine," Bucky laughs.

"You should meet Sam sometime, he's a great."

A warm feeling spread across Bucky's chest. It's nice knowing that Steve wants him to meet his best friend. It makes Bucky feel pretty important. His own friends are worse than a horde of curious old aunts when it comes to meeting any new people that appear in Bucky's life. So, if Steve's are similar in that matter, it's a pretty big deal.

"He does sound like it, so I'd really like to. And I think it's only fair, since you've already met my crazy found family."

Steve chuckles and nods. "All families are probably a bit crazy. Yours seem like great people; it was really nice meeting them. Natasha too, even though she wasn't there in person."

“I’m pretty sure you’ll meet her sooner or later, now that she’s in town,” Bucky says. What he doesn’t add is that she probably has a master plan to casually bump into Steve and do something to embarrass the shit out of Bucky. “Tasha can be a handful but she’s just… the best person I’ve ever met.”

“You… You two were a thing, right?” Steve asks, sending a quick glance at Bucky. “I mean, you don’t have to—”

“No, it’s okay. And we… To be honest, I don’t think we were? We’ve been friends for ages and when we were young and reckless, we just… hooked up once or twice. But there never was anything more than a friendship there. We’ve gotten Alex, so no regrets there,” Bucky smiles. After a moment he adds with a chuckle. “And as Natasha mentioned, I might like men a bit too much for it to have worked.”

Steve laughs at that and looks at Bucky in a way that is kind of hard to decipher. He doesn’t comment on what Bucky said, though. Instead, he lets out a small huff and points at something in front of them.

“They sell some homemade mulled wine there,” Steve says. “What do you think?”

“I think that I didn’t have many drinking opportunities lately so who knows what a cup of spiced wine might do to me,” Bucky says. Before Steve can say anything, he adds with a grin, “But I’m ready to find out."

"Let's go then," Steve says.

Something brushes Bucky's back for a moment but it's brief and soft enough that he can't be sure if it was Steve's hand or did someone just walk past him. He doesn't think much of it.

With two steaming cups of wine, they keep wandering between the colourful stalls. At some point, when Steve stops by one of them, looking at handmade jewellery that his friend Wanda might like, Bucky notices a small branch of mistletoe, hanging above Steve's head. Maybe it's the wine or maybe it's his recent conversation with Natasha, but Bucky thinks that he might not be totally opposed to kissing a Steve. 

When Steve turns to ask his opinion on a bracelet he'd found, Bucky shakes his head and smiles. He steps closer, looking over Steve's shoulder and completely ignores the mistletoe above their heads.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back, everyone! It's been just 2 weeks from my last update and it feels like ages. I hope you're doing well and that the new year is treating you with all the kindness and love you deserve ♥ 
> 
> Today's chapter is a bit shorter than the previous ones (i think) but I just liked the way it ended and I didn't want to ruin it with adding anything more. I always worry that there's not enough happening in those chapters but since you all seem to like them, I'm not gonna complain dajdak So here's some fluff with Alex being a little angel, Steve being his golden-hearted self and Bucky being a mess. Hope you'll like it ♥

For almost a week, Natasha teases him about his evening out with Steve. As soon as he got back home that night, before he even managed to say where he was, she asked how his date went. At this point Bucky is kind of convinced that it was all part of Natasha's scheme. He wouldn't be surprised if she somehow managed to figure out Steve's schedule without even talking to the man and then tricked everyone to say they were busy so there was no one else with whom Bucky could hang out. 

It sounds ridiculous. Bucky knows Natasha enough not to completely dismiss the possibility.

Other than Natasha’s possible meddling with Bucky’s non-existent love life, there are other exciting things happening in December. For example, Alexandra’s second dance recital is coming up and this time it’s the New Year’s performance of The Nutcracker. To say that Alex is excited is an understatement of the year.

So of course, a week before Christmas and two weeks before Alex’s performance is when Bucky gets sick. Somewhere between running late to work and taking Alex to and from school, and her ballet practice, Bucky has caught a virus. At first it is just a runny nose and a sore throat. Of course, Bucky ignores it and proceeds to go about his day. Soon enough he starts coughing his lungs out. When he wakes up in the middle of the night, shaking and feeling both too hot and too cold at the same time, he realises that he might have a flu and he probably should take a few days off.

The worst part isn’t that Bucky feels like shit. The worst part is that Alex will end him herself if she missed a practice so close to the performance because of him. But since his brain is in no shape to make any kind of rational decisions, Bucky decides to try to fall asleep, with hopes he would feel a bit better when his alarm goes off in the morning.

He does not.

The phone on the bedside table starts ringing at 7 a.m. and the sound makes Bucky's head pound. He feels even more exhausted than before. Slowly, he makes his way to the bathroom and rummages through the cabinets to locate the thermometer. It shows 100.1 F which is not great, he must admit. 

He calls his boss to let her know he won't make it to work today and probably for the next few days. Then, he goes to Alex's room.

"Hey, sweetheart?" he says as he gently shakes her arm.

After some unhappy mumbling and tossing on the bed, she finally cracks one eye open.

"Do I have to get up already?" Alex asks.

"Actually, no." Bucky shakes his head and tries to hold back a cough. "Papa's sick and too tired to leave the house today. So we'll have a lazy day and go back to sleep for a bit longer, how about that?"

Alex lets out a small cheer, followed by a yawn. Almost immediately she rolls onto her side and nestles under the duvet. She seems content with skipping school. It's not ideal but Bucky figures that one day won't hurt. He's about to get up, hoping he'd make it to bed before he passes out, but Alex opens her eyes again and looks at him suspiciously.

"What about my ballet class?" she asks. Of course, she does.

"I don't know, baby. Mama's out of town this week and I'll have to see if uncles Clint or Scott could help. I'll try to figure something out later, OK? Sleep now, munchkin." Bucky says, brushing the hair from Alex's face.

A small pout appears on her face but she nods. For a moment she looks around the bed, searching for something. Finally, she locates Felicia the Triceratops and she hands her to Bucky.

"Here. She'll make you feel better. She has a magical healing horn. It always helps me when I'm sick," Alex explains with a serious expression. She sits up a bit and places a kiss on Bucky's forehead. "Feel better, papa."

"Thank you, sweetheart," Bucky smiles. "Sleep well."

With the stuffed dinosaur under his arm, Bucky manages to crawl back to bed. He falls asleep almost the second his head hits the pillow.

Next time he wakes up, it's to a small hand shaking his arm. He whines and opens his eyes.

"You feel better, papa?" Alex asks, looking worried.

"A bit, thanks," Bucky tries to smile. He does not feel better at all. His throat feels as if he swallowed a bunch of razor blades and he can't breathe through his nose. But she doesn't have to know that.

Alex smiles, accepting his lie, while Bucky checks the time on his phone. It's barely past noon. With a sigh — that quickly turns into a coughing fit — Bucky gets up and ushers his daughter to the kitchen. They both should eat, probably. For a minute or two he just stares inside the fridge, thinking what would take the least effort to prepare.

"Maybe some eggs?" Alexandra's head pops up under his arm as she glances inside the fridge, too.

"Eggs it is, then," Bucky agrees.

The few minutes it takes him to scramble the eggs tire Bucky more than it should. By the end of it he's sweaty and feeling like his legs are going to give up under him any minute. It's been a while since he's been sick and he is not enjoying this. At all. So he eats his breakfast quickly, leaves the dishes on the kitchen table to deal with them later and crawls towards the couch in the living room.

Alex, the little angel that she is, brings a blanket from her room and drapes it over Bucky. It's her pink one with stars on it and it covers only half of Bucky's body but he appreciates the gesture. Before he can thank her, she runs back to her room. A few minutes later she emerges changed out of her pajamas with a book tucked under one arm. With utmost care, she places it on the beanbag in the corner of the room and goes to the kitchen. Glancing at the cover, Bucky realises it's one of the books she got from Steve. It puts a smile on his face. It's quickly replaced by a worried frown when he hears some clinking and banging from the kitchen. He pulls himself up and is about to ask if everything is fine but Alex appears in the doorframe. She's walking slowly, her tongue sticking out in concentration and she carries Bucky's biggest mug in her hands.

"Here," she says, placing it on the coffee table. "You always say that I should drink a lot when I'm sick. So you have to, too."

Bucky smiles, sending a kiss to Alex, since he doesn't want to get her sick. "Thank you for caring about me, honeybee. I'm already feeling better."

It's mostly a lie. Physically he still feels like shit. But the way Alex smiles, before she retreats to her reading spot by the window does cheer him up a bit.

He dozes off and wakes up every 15 minutes or so. The medicine he took earlier lowers his fever a bit. Or at least he thinks so because he finally stopped shaking, so that's good. He must look very miserable since Alex asks him every now and then if he's OK or if he needs anything. Her heart is made of gold and Bucky could cry if all of his willpower wasn't currently focused on not-suffocating.

Alexandra is quiet as a mouse, at least to some point. Because the closer it gets to 2 P.M., the more restless she gets. Squirming on the squeaky bean bag, pointedly glancing at the clock by the TV or sighing every now and then — it's how she makes Bucky remember that she's supposed to have her classes today. Her dad might be dying, but that's not enough reason to skip ballet.

"Will you get me my phone, sweetheart?" Bucky asks. "I've left it in my room. I'll call uncle Clint and see if he can take you to your class, OK?"

Alex almost hurls the book across the room in her hurry to get up. At the last moment, she catches herself and puts it down more or less gently and runs to Bucky's bedroom. She's back in an instant. She plops down onto the carpet by the coffee table and very obviously eavesdrops on Bucky's conversations.

Natasha's out of town, Clint is swamped with work and won't be able to leave even for a second and Scott and Hope are visiting her family in somewhere far away from New York, but Bucky's tired brain didn't remember where. With each conversation, Alex's face falls more and more. After just a brief moment of hesitation, Bucky calls Steve.

Of course, Steve — being the golden-hearted hero that he is — agrees to help. After Bucky gives him the address, he promises to be at Bucky's place around 2.30 p.m. so he and Alex will have plenty of time to get to the dance studio. Alex is delighted with the news.

Fifteen minutes before Steve's supposed to arrive, Bucky rolls off the couch and goes to the bathroom. He washes his face, brushes his teeth and ties his hair into a messy bun. It's the best he can do. It's weird that he feels the urge to impress Steve with his looks but he's too tired to think about it more. Plus, he's not sure if basic hygiene could be called  _ impressing someone _ . He goes to his bedroom and puts on an oversized sweater. Both because he feels chilly when he's not tucked under a blanket, and because he was sleeping in a ratty t-shirt that has definitely seen better days. Putting on proper pants seems like too much effort, so he keeps his pajama pants.

Just as he leaves the bedroom, there's knocking at the front door.

"Papa!" Alex yells from the living room and in a split second she dashes through the hall. "It's Steve! Hurry up!"

"Gee, calm down, munchkin," Bucky says and receives a death glare from his daughter in response. She really looks like a tiny Tasha sometimes. "He's not going to run away."

After glancing through the peep-hole to make sure it's really Steve, Bucky finally opens the door.

"Hi, Steve! Can we go?" Alex asks before either of them can say anything.

"Maybe you'd put some clothes on first, huh?" Bucky points at the t-shirt and shorts she's wearing. "I'm not sure if this is December-appropriate."

Alex rolls her eyes but rushes to her room to change. Bucky finally looks up at Steve. With a smile, he gestures at the other man to come inside.

"Hi, Steve. Thank you so much you've agreed to do this," Bucky says. "She'd kill me if she had to miss practice so close to the big show."

"Don't even mention it, it's nothing," Steve smiles. A worried wrinkle appears on Steve's forehead a moment later and Bucky must look as bad as he feels cause Steve asks, "How are you feeling? Do you need me to get you anything on our way home?"

"Nah, I'll be fine," Bucky waves a hand at him. The rapid movement makes his head spin a bit but he doesn't say that. "I think my fever is gone. And if it's not, I'll try to nap while you're gone so that'll help."

Steve looks sceptical but when he tries to comment on it, Bucky points his thumb towards Alexandra's bedroom.

"I'll see how she's doing." And he retreats down the hallway.

As expected, Alex is doing great. As Bucky enters her room, she's already pulling a hoodie over her head. She grabs her backpack and makes sure she has everything she needs.

"Where's Felicia?" she asks and Bucky's sick brain needs a minute to process the question.

"She's in my room, probably. Go put your shoes on and I'll get her."

It doesn't need to be said twice because before he even finishes the sentence Alex is out of the room. She starts babbling to Steve about the upcoming performance, about the book she's reading and who knows what else. Steve tries his best to keep up with her rocket brain.

Smiling to himself, Bucky untangles Felicia from between his covers. He can't wait to take her place in a few minutes. On his way back, he gets a bottle of water from the kitchen and packs both things into Alex's little backpack.

"OK, you're all set," Bucky says, tucking the end of Alex's scarf. He looks up at Steve. "There shouldn't be any problems but I've called the teacher earlier to let her know you'll pick her up today, just in case. Again, thank you so much, Steve."

"Yes! You're the best, Steve!" Alexandra pipes in with a grin.

A matching smile appears on Steve's face as he glances from Alex to Bucky and back. "Thanks, Alex. I'm happy to help."

"Can we go?" Alex asks and grabs Steve's hand without hesitation. "I don't wanna be late."

"Alex has her keys in the backpack, if the doorbell didn't wake me up. It will, but… just in case," Bucky says as he waves them off. "See you in a bit. Have a nice class, sweetheart."

"Bye, papa!" Alex calls over her shoulder and Steve smiles and waves back at Bucky.

Just like he expected, as soon as he locks the door after them, Bucky goes to his bedroom and collapses onto the bed.

What he didn't expect was the fact that he wouldn't wake up after Alex and Steve are back. It's not until a pleasantly chilly hand brushes his forehead that he stirs and let's out a displeased sound. It doesn't help his still sore throat.

"Sorry to wake you up," a deep voice says quietly. "But it's almost 8 p.m. and I thought you should eat something, Buck."

"What?" Bucky tries to ask but his voice is so raspy, it's probably hard to decipher what he's trying to say.

He rubs at his eyes trying to get rid of sleepiness. Sitting up, he confusedly takes in his surroundings. It's dark outside but the lamp in the corner bathes the room in a soft, orange glow. Steve is sitting on the edge of the bed and he's smiling softly at Bucky.

"What?" Bucky asks again, even more confused. 

He checks his phone and it's indeed 7.49 P.M., which means that he's slept for what? Over five hours?

"I've made dinner. Figured out you'd be too tired to take care of that," Steve rubs the back of his neck, looking sheepish. "My mum was able to cure almost everything with some chicken soup. I'm afraid mine doesn't have any special abilities but it shouldn't make it worse." Steve laughs. "Me and Alex already ate, at least we know it's edible and won't kill you."

"What?" Bucky just repeats. His sleepy, probably feverish brain is very slow at processing information right now.

Steve's a saint, though. Instead of getting annoyed or at least laughing at Bucky, he still smiles softly and explains, "I didn't want to wake you when we got back. You need rest. And I've been to the store in the meantime, made soup for dinner. I hope you're not mad. Alex helped and then we drew and read for a bit? I figured it's late and you should eat something, so I came to wake you up."

Bucky bites the inside of his cheek to stop another "what" that almost leaves his mouth. He just stares at Steve, speechless. Not only did Steve take his daughter to her ballet classes and waited an hour before picking her up, but he also went shopping, cooked dinner and spent 4 more hours taking care of Alex just to let Bucky sleep.

And the best part? When he doesn't get an answer from Bucky for a moment, his face falls and he looks genuinely worried while he says, "I hope you're not mad that I've bossed around a bit, I just wanted to let you rest."

"No, Steve," Bucky says. He has to clear his throat — both because he's touched by Steve's kindness and because his throat is not working properly. "Of course I'm not mad! My god, you… I can't believe you've done all this for me. For us. You're…" Bucky shakes his head, trying to find words and failing. "You're amazing. Thank you so much, I'm— I don't even know what to say."

Steve's smile is back and so is the blush that colours his cheeks. "You don't have to say anything. You deserved some rest and I'm— I'm just happy I could help. Do you feel any better?"

"Kind of? Only half of my muscles are currently aching, so that's definitely an improvement," Bucky jokes.

"Glad to hear that," Steve laughs. "I'll head home then."

Steve walks off the room and Bucky follows so he can lock the door after him. He can't help a smile as Alex gives Steve a hug goodbye.

Bucky leans against the wall in the hallway, waiting for Steve to get ready.

"Eat your soup and let me know if you need anything, ok?" Steve says.

"I will. Thanks again, Steve. Really I don't know how to thank you."

Steve squeezes his shoulder. "You don't have to. I didn't mind taking care of Alex. It's fine."

Steve's hand lingers for a moment longer but he finally lets go and with a little wave, he leaves. Bucky locks the door behind him. For a second, he rests his forehead against the cold wood, wondering if the warmness he feels inside is caused by the fever or by Steve. With a sigh, he goes back to the living room. As promised, he heats up some soup for himself since Alex is not hungry. While he eats, she proudly shows him the drawings she and Steve did and tells Bucky how much fun they've had today. He's really happy to hear that. It warms him almost as much as the chicken soup, which — despite Steve's words — is really delicious and it does wonders for his aching throat.

Sometime later, when Alex is showered and tucked away in bed, he goes back to his room. He feels better than he did in the morning but honestly, he wouldn't say no to some more sleep. Before he does that, he definitely needs a shower and fresh pajamas. As he walks towards the closet, something on his bedside table catches his eye. He gets closer to examine it.

A big jug of tea and an empty mug are standing there, the beverage still warm when Bucky checks. Propped against it is a piece of paper with a little comic. Gently, Bucky picks it up and brings it closer to his face. 

There's a little cartoon Bucky with a miserable look on his face. He can barely keep his eyes open, his hair is messy, sticking in every direction and he has a blanket cape around his shoulders. Then he stumbles upon a mysterious jug, surrounded by glowing aura, with honey and lemon drawn on the small label on it. A curious look appears on the cartoon-Bucky's face. He takes a sip straight out of the jug. In the last panel, cartoon-Bucky is standing in a superhero pose, the cape and his hair flowing gloriously behind him. There are stars in his eyes and a blush on his cheeks, the magical jug tucked safely under his arm. Below the whole thing there's a message written in loopy handwriting. It simply says "Get well soon, Buck! x".

Bucky stares at the note for what feels like hours, unable to look away from the drawing and the little message. Eventually, he falls back onto his bed with a dramatic sigh.

This time he's pretty sure that the warm feeling in his heart has nothing to do with the flu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll see how writing goes from now on but since I'm getting closer and closer to the end of the semester, there's a chance that the chapters will actually be posted every two weeks instead of every week? I'll see and keep u updated; I'm really motivated to finish this story :')


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been... so long since I've updated this fic. I'm sorry but life got in the way and I couldn't bring myself to write anything. Here I come with apologies and hopes that you haven't forgotten about the adventures of Bucky, Alex and Steve. I'm gonna treat you with the longest chapter I've ever written (it's like 5.3k). I hope you'll like it, I got a bit carried away and my space-nerdiness is showing every now and then. Also bonus points if u caught my Doctor Who reference ;p
> 
> The chapters will probably come very irregularly from now on but I'll try my best not to have too long gaps between each update. I love you all and — as always — thank you so, so much for your continuous support. I cherish every single reader, every single like and every single comment you leave here :')

When Monday rolls around, Bucky faces New York’s chilly morning as he makes his way to work. It’s been only a few days since he got sick, but he feels significantly better now. His nose might still be stuffed and his throat might feel a bit scratchy, but he is mostly fine. No more coughing fits, no more fever. And it’s not like he could say no when his boss called him to check how he was doing and ask if he’d be able to come by before Christmas to do some required maintenance work.

But it’s fine, since the work at the Institute has slowed down, many people have already taken their days off for the Christmas break. It’s calmer than usual and Bucky can do whatever he’s supposed to do in peace.

It's a bit past noon and Bucky's mindlessly staring at the progress bar on his screen and enjoys his coffee. The peace and quiet — excluding his Christmas playlist playing in the background — is disturbed by the ringing of his phone. Slightly startled, Bucky looks around, searching for the device. After a quick glance at the screen, he answers the call.

"Hi, Buck!" Steve says, his voice soft and warm. "I hope I didn't wake you up or anything. Just wanted to check up on you, see how you're feeling."

"That's very sweet of you," Bucky says, his lips spreading in a smile. "And I'm fine, thank you. Currently waiting for the data backup to finish so you've disrupted my staring contest with the progress bar."

Steve doesn't appreciate the joke. Instead, he asks, "You're at work?" After receiving an affirmative hum, he lets out a slightly annoyed huff. "Why? You should still be in bed! Three days ago you've been barely able to get up for longer than 10 minutes. You should still rest, Buck."

"It's been six days ago, thank you very much," Bucky answers. "And I'm fine, Steve. I promise. I wouldn't come if I was still feeling sick, but the fever's been gone for a few days," two but Steve doesn't have to know that, "and I'm not coughing anymore. I'm as fit as a fiddle."

"I can hear you sniffle."

"It's the allergies," Bucky lies and that makes Steve laugh, although a bit exasperated.

"You're horrible," he says. "Bet you haven't even eaten breakfast or drink enough water or like... didn’t even wear a hat even though you’re sick."

"I did have a toast while I ran to catch the train. And now I'm having coffee for lunch. And it’s not even that cold."

An honest-to-God gasp escapes Steve's mouth after he hears that. Of course he's a Mr. Healthy Lifestyle, Bucky shouldn't even be surprised.

"How are you even functioning? You gotta take care of yourself, Buck."

Bucky's heart skips a bit. It's nice to have someone worry about him. Even if he's being dragged in the meantime. And it was nice when Steve took care of him and Alex back when Bucky was too sick to do this. Of course, he has people who do that. Clint, Tasha, Scott -- he can always count on them. But somehow it feels different with Steve. Steve hasn't been around for years like the others, he's known Bucky for just a few months and he still decided to offer his kindness and care. This thought made Bucky's heart do somersaults in his chest.

So did the fact that Steve had a nickname to Bucky's nickname. And he's been using it a lot. Bucky really likes it.

"I'm functioning very well, thank you. And so is Alex, because I'm not as hopeless in taking care of her, luckily," Bucky chuckles. Before Steve can't say anything, Bucky adds, "Besides, I've been able to survive 28 years like this so don't be overdramatic. No need to go all mother hen on me."

"Oh, you think  _ this _ is overdramatic?" Steve asks, amused. "You clearly don't know what me being overdramatic is, pal. This is just some simple, friendly check-in."

"Okay, now I'm kinda curious," Bucky says. His cheeks hurt from smiling so much. "Hypothetically, what would one have to do to see what is Steve Rogers's definition of overdramatic?"

It makes Steve let out another laugh. "Careful what you wish for, Buck." It sounds like Steve wants to say something else but there's some noise in the background and his voice becomes distant and inaudible for a moment. When he comes back, he says with a sigh, "Sorry 'bout that. I need to go back to work. I'm glad you're feeling better but eat a proper meal or I'll hunt you down."

"Oh, so no mother hen anymore, were going straight to threats, okay." Bucky nods to himself and Steve huffs out a laugh. "Thanks for the call, Steve. It's very sweet of you. Have a nice day."

"You, too. Say hi to Alex from me."

"I will. Bye, Steve."

A small smile is still present on Bucky's face when a few hours later he's picking Alex up from school. It grows bigger when she runs towards him down the stairs, her haphazardly wrapped scarf fluttering behind her. He takes a moment to tuck it properly and then takes Alex's backpack from her.

“How was school today?” Bucky asks as they head home.

“Fine. We played soccer and I scored once!” Alex answers proudly. “Even Adrian didn’t and he’s very good. Maya didn’t want to play ‘cause she says girls shouldn’t play soccer.”

“Jokes on her, because we have a women’s national soccer team and they’re the best. They’re the world champions.”

A gasps escapes Alex’s mouth. “Really? That’s so cool! I want to be a soccer player when I grow up!”

“Not a ballerina, anymore?” Bucky asks, with a small smile.

“No, I’m gonna be a ballerina but I’m gonna play soccer sometimes, too. But that’s after I’ll fly to the moon!”

Bucky only nods and grins at her. He wouldn’t be surprised in the least if she actually pulled that off in the future. There weren’t many things that could stop her since she decided upon something.

“How’s space?” Alex asks, swinging their hands back and forth.

Bucky chuckles. It’s a bit of a tradition at this point. He doesn’t really remember how it started but now she never asks him “how’s work” but it’s always “how’s space?”. Personally, Bucky loves it. It makes him feel like he’s doing much cooler things that he really does.

“Pretty boring, sadly,” he admits. “Didn’t have much to do today and many people are on their breaks so no fun space facts to share today. I chatted on the phone with Steve and he wanted me to say hi to you.”

“Oh, is he coming over today?”

Slightly confused with the question, Bucky shakes his head. “No, he’s not. We just talked on the phone. Why?”

“I don’t know, I thought you liked Steve.”

“Well, I do. I like uncle Scott too but we don’t hang out with him every day, either. Steve has his own life and stuff to do, so we shouldn’t bother him all the time.”

Alex makes a small hum and Bucky’s not sure if it’s a dismissive or an agreeing one. After a moment, she adds, “I bet he wouldn’t mind though. He told me he really likes you.”

“What? When?” The revelation almost makes Bucky stop in the middle of the pavement. The biggest surprise is not that Steve likes him, Bucky has figured out this much after all those times they’ve hung out together. What really takes him aback is that apparently his daughter and Steve are having conversations about him when he’s not there.

“When you were sick and Steve went to ballet class with me. I told him he’s cool and I’m happy you have him so you’re not so lonely. And he said he thinks we’re really cool too and that he likes us a lot.”

This time Bucky slows down and eventually stops. There’s a furrow between his brows when he looks at Alex.

“Why would you think I’m lonely, munchkin? I’m not, I have you and mama, uncle Clint and Scott. And now Steve. I’m more than fine.”

“Well… Okay, maybe I didn’t mean lonely. But sometimes when you have a lot to do and you worry and mama or uncle Clint are busy you do this—” Alex furrows her brows and pouts, apparently imitating a worried Bucky “and you’re quiet and worried. And now you smile even more than you did. You smile all the time when you text Steve.”

For a moment, Bucky only gapes at her, not sure how to react. That’s a lot of information coming at once from his 7-year-old daughter.

“I’m— Well, I’m okay, even if I worry sometimes. And I couldn’t be lonely, having such a sweet little munchkin by my side,” he smiles, bopping her on the nose and getting a smile in return. “But thank you for caring about me, sweetheart. I love you to the moon and back.”

“And I love you to Jupiter!” she answers.

“But not back?” Bucky raises an eyebrow.

“Nah, it’s already so far away, it’s enough.”

The conversation with Alex stays in Bucky’s head for the rest of the day. It’s gnawing at him enough that before he goes to bed, he takes out his phone and calls Natasha.

“How’s my favourite co-parent doing?” she greets.

“Do you have any more co-parents?” Bucky asks instead of answering.

“Nope. That’s what makes you my favourite.” Bucky only sighs so she continues. “Did something happen? You’re usually in the mood for late night conversation when something’s on your mind.”

There’s no point in denying it since Natasha would see right through him. “It’s nothing bad. Apparently Alex thinks I’m lonely.”

“Well, she’s not wrong.”

“What? Tasha, no. I’m not lonely, where did you two get that idea?”

“James, it’s not my fault that you’re an idiot. I know that you have people who love you around. You know that, too. But I know and you also should know — but here’s the ‘idiot’ part — that it might not be enough sometimes. And I’m pretty sure we’ve had a similar conversation like a month ago, so I don’t know why you act all surprised now.”

“Remind me, why did I even call you?”

“Because I am incredible and you value my opinion like no one else’s and also you love me deeply,” Natasha explains dutifully. 

Bucky huffs out a laugh as he sits heavily on the side of his bed. His eyes land on the comic from Steve, still laying on Bucky’s bedside table, propped against the lamp. “Sounds fake, but okay.”

“Did our daughter have any more revelations for you?” Natasha asks.

“Well…,” Bucky hesitates for a moment. “She and Steve gossip about me when I’m not around. And apparently I’ve been smiling more lately. But that’s about it.” 

Natasha hums but even through the phone Bucky can hear that she’s rather amused. 

"What?" Bucky asks.

"I didn't say anything!"

"I can hear you laughing, just say whatever mean thing you're going to say and let's get this over with."

"I'm not gonna say anything mean! I was just wondering when we'd mention Steve in this conversation," she chuckles. "But really. Even your daughter can see that a relationship would be good for you. And that you like Steve a lot. Why not kill two birds with one Steve?"

Bucky sighs. "Because one Steve is also enough to kill this friendship we have."

"Why do you always just automatically assume that things will get fucked? It doesn't have to be the case. I'm serious, you'd better take a grip on yourself and ask him out or I'm back in three days and I'll do this for you. And I'll be as obnoxious and embarrassing for you as I can."

That's actually a pretty horrible threat. She would do that. And it would be both mortifying and horrible to experience for all the involved parties — maybe except Natasha. Bucky laughs, trying to imagine it, but the laugh is short-lived.

"Come on, Nat," Bucky starts after a moment, getting serious. "Steve is great and it's great having him around. But what if I make a move and he's not interested? I don't want to freak him out. Or remember that message I accidentally saw on his computer? He might be seeing someone already or be interested in someone else," Bucky pinches the bridge of his nose. "Plus, I know from experience that no matter how much he might seem to like me, a guy with a kid can turn out to be a bit much for people. I don't want to get hurt. I don't want Alex to get hurt. She adores Steve and I don't know if I can risk it."

"But I'm telling you, nobody's getting hurt anytime soon," Natasha chimes in. "You're overthinking, Yasha. Those are all valid concerns but you know what the counterargument is?" She takes a small break but she's not expecting Bucky to respond. "Steve's a  _ good guy _ . He likes you. He likes Alex. He came to a primary school dance recital after knowing you for like a week just because you and Alex asked him to. Even if he doesn't want a relationship, it doesn’t mean that your friendship has to end. From all you've told me, he doesn't seem like the kind to trample on your hearts like this. Give yourself some time, but promise me you're gonna think about it, okay? And call me if you work yourself up into an anxious mess again, okay?”

“I will try not to be an anxious mess, but I’ll let you know. And I’ll think about it. Thanks, Tasha.” Bucky says.

“I love you no matter what, you dumbfuck. Bye.”

Bucky barely manages to say it back before she hangs up. He shakes his head with a small smile and retrieves his charger cable from behind the bedside table. As he plugs his phone, he accidentally knocks down the drawing from Steve. He picks it up, staring at the soft lines for who-knows-which time. His thumb gently traces the “Get well soon, Buck! x” scribbled at the bottom.

Looking at it, Bucky imagines the moment when Steve was writing it down. In his mind, he sees both Steve and Alexandra at the kitchen table, both leaning over their respective pieces of paper, focused on whatever they’re drawing. They are smiling, chatting about whatever common interest they’ve currently discovered. It’s a very nice picture. Enough to make Bucky’s heart ache.

Because Natasha is right. This is exactly what Bucky craves and what he’s been ignoring for years. That domesticity, that warm feeling one gets when looking at someone they care about. That happiness. He can almost imagine himself joining the picture he’s created in his head, walking over to that table and dropping a kiss first on Alex’s head and then on Steve’s, before he starts preparing the dinner. It feels right. 

Maybe it’s not usual to imagine this calm, family life with someone he’s not even in a relationship with. Most people probably think of tons of other things, things that are not so… settled. Not as serious. Sometimes they never reach this part. But Bucky has figured a while ago that it doesn’t really work for him. He already has a family. And this family means everything and more to him. If he ever was to date, he has to make sure that the person would fit into his and Alexandra’s life. He has to skip ahead to make sure it’s worth going through the dates and the passion and all the work a relationship requires, without it all ending in a heartbreak. But Steve… 

Steve fits so well into this picture, it scares Bucky a bit. Because this would be even harder to let go, if things didn't work out.

It's pretty clear, now that he allows himself to think about it, that he has some feelings for Steve. Besides the friendliness and sympathy, that is. They're the romantic kind and they're still fresh and shy but they're here. And Bucky has absolutely no clue how to deal with them. It's not even that surprising, he realises. Because how could he not catch feelings for Steve? For the kindest, most thoughtful and most selfless person in the world? For someone with his heart made of gold, who always knows how to make Bucky laugh? Someone who gets so passionate about the things he loves and just as much about the ones he despises? Who cares deeply, laughs with his whole body and who next to all this softness and kindness, is also a stubborn little asshole? Who — and this is the most important of all — adores Alex and whom she adores just as much?

Bucky's heart was a lost cause from the start.

Steve has a lot of qualities that Bucky would fall for if he looked for a partner. And that he accidentally might have fallen for anyway. And that's all without even mentioning that Steve is so ridiculously attractive that it might've skewed Bucky's view on beauty forever. 

The point is — Natasha is right. That this could be a good thing.  _ They _ could be a good thing. But what they have now is already good and Bucky really values this friendship. He isn't sure if pursuing a hypothetical picture in his head is worth putting it at risk. Because he still can't be sure if Steve's interested. For what Bucky knows, he's kind and caring towards all of his friends. It doesn't mean that Bucky and Alex are special. 

He can almost hear Natasha's voice in his head, calling him an idiot and yelling that he won't know until he tries. Which is right, since Natasha always is. It doesn't help him stop the — partially excited but mostly terrified — somersaults his insides make. With a small sigh, he puts the drawing on its place by the lamp, flicks off the lights and burrows himself under the covers. He doesn't have to have everything figured out straight away. Letting himself even consider it is a big enough step for now, he decides as he drifts off to sleep.

The next day is Bucky's last day at work before the Christmas break. He doesn't really have much to do, just finishing some last updates and dealing with whatever paperwork he was putting off earlier. Most of the time, he chats with Scott, who has been wandering aimlessly around the institute for the lack of work and eventually landed in Bucky's tiny office. They've been chatting about their Christmas plans — nothing too elaborate for both of them, just simple time at home with their families — and now they started discussing where they should go to grab some lunch. Just as Bucky  _ almost _ convinced Scott that they should go to this sushi place down the block instead of the Italian place, there's a knock on the door.

Bucky sends his friend a confused look.

"It wasn't me," Scott raises his hands in defence.

"Come in," Bucky calls after another second passes. It's probably someone having a last-minute computer problem or one of his co-workers wanting to drop by with Christmas wishes.

Except, when the door cracks open, Steve's head pokes in. Its hair is messy, its cheeks reddened from the cold and its lips spread in a smile.

"Hi, Buck. And hi Scott, it's nice to see you again," he says. "I'm not interrupting?"

And because Bucky's brain is still processing the fact that for some reason Steve's come to visit him at work, Scott's the one who says, "Not at all, come in."

Steve hesitates for another second. Bucky's brain finally kicks in and he smiles which is apparently the invitation Steve needed, because he finally fully walks into the office.

"Hi, Steve. I didn't expect you here," Bucky says, his smile growing bigger.

"Well, you should. Because after our talk yesterday, I decided to bring you lunch," Steve says, proudly showing a big paper bag in his hand. "I told you you haven't seen shit, and especially not overdramatic me."

This makes Bucky laugh out loud as he shakes his head in disbelief. How is Steve even real?

Scott is watching them with a slightly confused but endeared smile on his face. Before anyone can say anything, he gets up from the chair, slapping his thighs as he does.

"Okay then, I'll leave you to it," he says, walking towards the door.

"There's plenty to share, if you want to join us," Steve offers, because of course he does. His gold-heartedness wouldn't have it any other way.

But Scott only shakes his head at that. "Nah, I'm in the mood for some sushi today. Thanks, though."

"Asshole," Bucky narrows his eyes at Scott. "I hope you'd choke on it."

His friend only laughs at that, "Enjoy your lunch date! It's been great to see you, Steve. Merry Christmas."

"You too, Scott. Say hi to Hope and Cassie from me."

With one last grin aimed at Bucky — and a very pointed look behind Steve's back — Scott leaves them alone. Bucky tries not to dwell on the fact that Steve didn't even bat an eye when Scott called it a lunch date.

"Why should he choke?" Steve asks with a chuckle.

"I've been trying to talk him into going to that sushi place for almost twenty minutes before you came," Bucky sighs and then notices that Steve is still hovering by the door. "Come on, take your coat off and sit down. I can't believe you've brought me lunch."

Steve shrugs off his coat and leaves it on the hanger by the door, next to Bucky's. Today he's wearing a maroon sweater that really suits him and a pair of dark jeans. He pushes his sleeves up before he digs into the bag and Bucky tries not to stare too obviously.

"Someone's got to make sure you eat, since after yesterday I've gotten an idea you're not good at it yourself," Steve says. "Guess it wasn't necessary. Sadly, I don't have sushi but maybe you're in the mood for Thai?"

"Depends on whether you've brought me the dumplings or not," Bucky answers.

Steve laughs in response and takes out one of the boxes and hands it to Bucky. "I did. I also have green curry for you? I hope I remembered correctly that you like it? If not, I'm sorry, we can switch—"

"Steve." Bucky says solemnly, placing his hand on Steve's forearm, to stop him from fumbling with the food. "You not only brought me food but you remembered my favourite after I mentioned it one time. You are an angel. You should hide it better, because you make us mortals look bad."

He's only half joking. Steve does seem like a higher being of some sorts and it's unfair that Bucky's poor heart is supposed to handle it. It doesn't do a great job. Especially not when Steve laughs, his eyes crinkle so much they turn into thin slits.

"And  _ I _ am the overdramatic one?" Steve asks, unpacking the last things and finally sitting on the chair across from Bucky. He's still smiling but there's a blush colouring his cheeks and creeping down his neck.

Bucky bites the inside of his cheek to contain a grin but the truth is, he's immensely proud of himself for pulling this reaction out of Steve. To stop himself from saying something stupid, he digs into his food.

"By the way, how did you find me here?" Bucky asks, his tongue sticking out a bit in concentration as he fishes for a dumpling with his chopsticks. 

"Clara let me know where your office is, she was very helpful."

Bucky furrows his brows. The surprise makes him drop his dumpling back into the container. "Clara, as in Clara Oswald, our receptionist? How do you know her?"

"I don't. We've chatted for a few minutes and I explained why I'm here and she told me how to get to you."

"Ah, of course it took you about five minutes to charm her and get into a government building just like that," Bucky chuckles.

"I didn't charm anyone! I just politely asked and she helped!"

If it wasn't Steve, Bucky would take it as fake modesty. But the truth is that Steve really seems to be completely oblivious to the effect he has on people. It’s endearing to see him do this.

"So here's when you do your cool space stuff?" Steve asks, changing the subject.

"Here's when the real scientists come searching for help when there's some IT-related issue," Bucky corrects him. "I don't do anything cool. I make sure all the data is where it's supposed to be and that whatever equipment they need is ready and working properly. Or part of it, Scott's an engineer and he takes care of the rest. I do get to read some space facts first hand, though."

"That's still cool space stuff for me," Steve shrugs with a small smile. "What kinds of things are you researching here? Like some particular aspects of outer space, or—?"

Normally Bucky would just give the shortest answer possible. People usually get bored quickly when he starts talking about it. But something in the genuine interest on Steve's face, the way he is looking around the office — which is nothing special, the only nice things are the sky maps and some spaced themed art — makes Bucky think that maybe Steve wouldn't mind getting the longer answer.

"Well, we mostly study the weather. Both the Earth's and the one in the solar system, like the solar winds and magnetic storms, stuff like that. We study exoplanets and try to discover or guess as much as we can about them," Bucky says. "I helped to create simulations that predicted how they could look like and develop, to see if there's a possibility to inhabit them. We did it by basically dumping all the data we have into an elaborate computer programme and waiting to see what comes out." Bucky laughs and Steve does too, but he has the look of utter fascination on his face as he listens. "And all this helps with some more down-to-earth stuff — pun not intended. Like, we've done tons of studies in climate change."

"That's—," Steve starts when he makes sure that Bucky's done. "All of this sounds incredible. And you're a part of all those amazing things, how great is that?"

Bucky feels that his cheeks start to burn. There's another reason he usually sticks with the short answer. As much as he's proud to be working here and as much as he loves it, the impostor in him always makes sure that he understands the difference between his work and the actual research, analysis and all the heavy lifting that the astronomers do. He helps, of course he does. He does a great job at it, but there's still a difference. And such praise usually makes him squirm uncomfortably.

"And don't even try to get all modest with me again," Steve warns as if he's been reading Bucky's mind. "You've said that you don't do cool space stuff and then admitted that you've helped to create a program to imagine how exoplanets can look and change. So I know you're full of bullshit."

Steve raises an eyebrow in what's supposed to be an unimpressed look but it's not even close. The smile and the curious, bright eyes that are stating right at Bucky are destroying the effect. The blush on Bucky's cheeks only deepens, especially as Steve adds. "I've been impressed before but— Wow. Really, you guys are doing such incredible things here, I can’t wrap my head around it."

"We really do," Bucky agrees, eventually.

The beaming smile Steve sends him feels like a reward Bucky didn't know he deserves.

"So you've always liked space? Or was it an accident that brought you here?" Steve asks.

"No, I've always loved it. It's just so fascinating and there's always so much more to learn about it," Bucky doesn't even try to hide his excitement. "I've never fully understood all the science behind it but I loved staring at the sky, trying to find all those constellations and planets and galaxies. I've figured a way to somehow connect it to what I was good at and make it my job. Which is amazing. But now I mostly stare at the computer screen instead of the stars. "

He doesn't want to sound ungrateful but he must admit that it does kill some of the fun. But not even the astronomers simply state up at the sky to admire the view.

Steve only nods in response. "Alex mentioned that you guys went on a trip out of town to watch the stars. It must've been great."

"We did! It was like… almost 2 years ago, I think? I borrowed one of those fancy telescopes they have here. I needed to pick Alex up every time, cause she was too small to reach it," Bucky laughs as he brings out the memories. "It was fun, we should do that again, sometime. But I don't have much time now, so it’ll have to wait."

"It does sound great," Steve smiles that soft smile again. "I hope you'd find some time as it gets warm enough for such trips. I bet Alex would be delighted."

"Yeah. I'll let you know if that happens, in case you'd like to join," Bucky says before he can think better of it.

There's more of the childlike excitement on Steve's face as Bucky mentions it so maybe it wasn't that bad of an idea.

An  _ actual _ bad idea comes out of Bucky's mouth a bit later, just as Steve is getting ready to head out. Bucky's lunch break is long gone and forgotten, because it's been two hours that Steve spent here. He apologises for staying so long and the assurances that Bucky didn't have any more work to do doesn't help.

"I'm sorry for taking your mind away from your responsibilities, but it was great spending time with you," Steve says.

So of course, because Bucky's heart doesn't get any chance to regroup, he doesn't have time to think before he blurts out. "We should have dinner together."

It's certainly not something Steve was expecting to hear. He just stares at Bucky. Before he has a chance to say anything, Bucky continues, "I mean. You should come for dinner. Clint and Nat are always around for a dinner, sometime between Christmas and New Year's. If you don't have any plans, it would be great if you came. But it's okay if you can't or don't want to."

Another moment passes and Bucky tries not to squirm under Steve's gaze. Luckily, Steve finally blinks and smiles as he says, "No, Buck, of course I'd love to come! I don't have any particular plans, will probably hang out with Sam for most of the break but I'll have plenty of time."

"You could take Sam with you," Bucky adds. He desperately tries to regain the control of his own mouth. "It'd be great to finally meet him."

"I'll let him know, I bet he’d be happy to come, too. Thanks again for the invite," Steve smiles as he cracks open the door. With a little wave, he walks out of the office. "Bye, Buck. Have a nice day."

"You too, Steve," Bucky says to the already closing door.

When Steve's gone, Bucky exhales heavily through his mouth as he leans back in his chair. Both of his hands go up to thread through his hair, tugging at it lightly.

Apparently, he has a dinner to prepare.

**Author's Note:**

> Title: Where I'm Meant to Be  
> Creator(s): niallhoranbitches  
> Card number: 065  
> Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27745402/chapters/67911988  
> Square filled: B2 - Airport  
> Rating: Teen and Up  
> Archive warnings: None  
> Major tags: Meet-Cute, Slow Burn, Friends to Lovers, Kid Fic, No powers AU  
> Summary:  
> Bucky is a single dad coming back from a work trip with a very bored, very whiney 7-year-old girl. A mysterious stranger with a kind heart and a notebook full of doodles comes to the rescue.  
> Word count: 4591


End file.
